Savage Wilde Hopps
by Erasmusmaus
Summary: After a drunken tryst with Nicholas Wilde, Judy Hopps reacts badly, breaking the poor foxes heart. Some time later Nick meets Jack Savage and is confronted by an attraction he didn't expect. As Nick finds himself in the beginnings of a relationship with Jack, Judy gets jealous and finally realizes she is an idiot (and also the worst). Now she must try and win Nick back.
1. Chapter 1

Nick looked down at his lap to where his partner had just dropped a square box wrapped with a bow. On his desk she placed a coffee (from his favorite place nonetheless) and a quart of blueberries.

She wasn't meeting his eyes; her hands pulled up in front of her as she twisted her fingers together nervously.

"Nick, this is just my first attempt at saying I'm sorry… I know I've been avoiding you all week - not answering your texts, and sending your calls to voicemail. I - I've been so scared after what happened... and that _conversation_ we had... that you would hate me. That we couldn't still be friends. That, y-you wouldn't still want to be my partner anymore."

Judy quickly glanced up to look into his eyes, but found his expression inscrutable. Nick, having already decided to play things close to the vest, said nothing, instead opening the box she had handed him. Inside was a tie, patterned silver and green. It was definitely to his taste. A week ago he would have been over the moon.

"Judy, are you serious right now?"

"Wh- you don't like it? T- that's okay I-"

"This is a pity gift, Judy. It's a **pity** tie. You might as well have gotten it inscribed, 'Sorry I don't love you Nick. Best wishes Judy Hopps.'"

"Nick I- I'm sorry. I just wanted... please, just tell me what I have to do to make this right."

She was looking at him directly now. Her face pleading. She already seemed close to tears.

"Judy do you have any idea how crappy this week has been for me. Against my better judgment I finally confessed my feelings to the mammal I love. Then she shoots me down, (brutally I might add), freaks out at me, and refuses to talk. You know you've hurt me a few times in the past but this seriously takes the cake."

She grimaced with remorse, her ears falling flat against her back, "I can't defend what I did. I keep failing you as a friend. But, this time it happened because I **do** love you… just, not in the way you want me to. I reacted badly and I'm so, so sorry. I've wanted to say that to you almost since the moment I ran away."

Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I love you Judy. I really do. And, you know what? I think I always will. If you ever thought for a moment that I could hate you, then you actually _are_ a dumb bunny."

Judy couldn't hold back the small note of relief in her voice or the thin stream of tears that began trickling down her face. "I am dumb - really. I am so dumb. Standing before you, Judy Hopps, the ultimate walking bunny stereotype."

Nick dropped his indifferent facade, "I will never abandon you. I will always be your friend. But Judy, I'm a long way from forgiving you for this."

"I- I totally understand."

"There are a couple things that you are going to have to do. You are going to have to tell me what really happened. Carrots, you have been flirting with me for months. The touches, innuendos, hanging out… snuggling. Sleepovers, Judy. Sleeping in the same bed, style, sleepovers. I mean, come on. What did I miss?"

"You're right. I… this is absolutely my fault. You have to understand. I grew up with hundreds of siblings. In rabbit burrows we often sleep close together, cuddle and snuggle. It's a comfort thing, totally not romantic. I've been so lonely - sleeping in a bed by myself. You are so close to me, you are like my family. No, you **are** my family. It just feels so natural to lie next to you. I knew that it might be... misunderstood, but, being with you just makes me feel so safe and happy - it's a bit like being at home."

"You know that sounds a lot like love to me Fluff. But, never mind. How about the party? You were all over me. Judy, you flipping scent marked me! We kissed for twenty minutes. You had your hand down my pants and you-"

"I know! Alright, I know! Come on you dumb fox, I have never been anywhere near that drunk before in my life. I was in heat, and… look; I'd probably have gone home with Bogo if he'd have let me."

"Wow Carrots, that both disturbs me deeply, and makes me feel _really_ special. So you are saying you don't find me attractive? Not even a little bit?"

"No."

"No? Just no? Because while you were grabbing my junk, you kind of went on about how hot I was, and in very specific detail."

"No, I'm sorry Nick. I'm a bunny. I can't find you attractive."

"What does being a bunny have to do with it? If you are going to lie to me Judy, then this ' _forgiving you_ ' thing is going to take longer than I thought."

"Okay fine! I find you a little bit attractive. I don't want to hurt your feelings Nick... but, there are an equal number of things I find unattractive about you - none of which are your fault at all! The alcohol kind of made those things go away, and caused the things I _do_ like, to, to… come into focus."

Nick couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "I don't even know where to start with that, vague, sort of insulting, little tidbit. Look, I know that was… well a total disaster."

"That's the understatement of the century."

"Yes. You're right. It was the single most frustrating, embarrassing and otherwise awful night of my life. Try to understand here Fluff. I had imagined for months what our first time would be like." Nick shook his head in frustration and rubbed his hands over his flattened ears. "I wanted things to be perfect and what I got was a nightmare."

 _It had been a nightmare. They had been beyond wasted. Images began flashing in front of both their eyes of the night in question: Kissing Nick. Nick vomiting into a random shoe box and then trying to hide it in his closet. Judy chipping her tooth on his right canine. Nick swearing at his… uncooperative fox-parts. Heat crazed Judy sobbing and locking herself in the bathroom. Waking up in the shower, which she had left running all night, subsequently flooding the top floor of Nick's house. Being unable to find a single item of her clothing and later realizing she had left them in the cab._

Judy shuddered violently, "Yeah… but, hey, I bet we will be able to look back on it and laugh someday. Still way too soon… but someday."

The look on Nick's face said that he doubted that was true. For a minute the conversation seemed to run dry. Nick mulled over what had been said and after a period of consideration decided to try again.

"Let me tell you how I am seeing this. You say you feel comfortable around me. You want to snuggle with me. You find _parts_ of me to be attractive. Carrots, as far as dating goes, that is a pretty good base to work with, at least in my opinion. Can't you... can't I… just take you on **one** date. This time it will be perfect I swear. No alcohol whatsoever, and It'll be totally platonic - I'm talking, hand-holding is the limit. Just give me a chance to woo you a little. Maybe, you know... you will discover something you didn't expect. We never had a real chance at this. What can one little date hurt?"

Judy was shaking her head sadly, "You don't understand. Nick, you are amazing. You deserve the funniest, most beautiful, honest, vixen in the world. You-"

"I don't want a vixen. I never have. I want a bunny. I want-"

" **I want a bunny too!** "

The room echoed with Judy's outburst.

After several tense moments she continued, "I want to someday get pregnant. Have kids - my kids. I know how selfish that is. I know adoption is a wonderful thing. But I want what I want. You have no idea how against even the idea of us becoming mates my family would be. They, (and I truly mean this) they might very well break ties with me forever. I have fought to be a cop all my life. I want to serve and protect, but I also want to show other rabbits just what we _are_ capable of. I want the next generation to be able to say that at least someone went out there and did it. And maybe, just maybe, that will inspire them to do the same. Nick, if I were to get involved with you, do you know what rabbits would say when my name was mentioned: immoral, disgusting, deviant. The fact that I did something that none of them thought was possible would no longer matter. Being with you, it would eclipse everything else… it would kill my dream. To top it all off, I don't know if inter-species relationships can ever really work... I don't know that they are **meant** to work. I realize how backwards that sounds but it's... it's what I was taught and I guess… it's what I believe..."

A long silence followed her final words. She had forced it all out - like bile. It would hurt him, she knew that. Later, she would no doubt replay her words and let them cut away at her soul, but for now, she had to say them. She had to shut him down as much for him as for her.

The sun had set. The room had grown colder. In the diminished light Judy could see tears collecting in the corners of Nick's eyes. The look on his face was one of acceptance and also of utter devastation."

Nick seemed to muster a bit of himself and he choked out a single sentence, "C-could you leave me alone for a while."

Judy tried to think of the words to say to make things even slightly better, to repair what had been broken, but found nothing. The expression on Nick's face was so painful for her to witness. The sick feeling inside her heart so great, she ended up doing the only thing she manage, and all but ran out the door.

A very long and eventful month later…

Nick and Judy sat together in their usual seat in the bullpen. The chief wouldn't be arriving for at least another ten minutes, and Judy was incessantly tapping away at her phone. Every few minutes she would hold up the screen to Nick and say, "How about this one?" to which Nick would answer,

"Nope."

"Come on Nick you didn't even look! Listen, she's a desert fox, twenty-eight years old." Judy wiggled her butt in the chair as she described the profile, "That flower shop down in Marble square, that's her shop; Daisy Darpaw. I've been texting her on this dating app for a couple of days and she seems really sweet."

"That's great Carrots, you two will no doubt be very happy together."

"Quiet. I've set this up perfectly. As you know, I have the uncanny ability to mimic your snarky mannerisms. Of course, **I** make you sound charming instead of annoying."

"That hurts Fluff-Butt. Sounds like the poor girl is being set up for disappointment."

"Please Nick, just give her a shot. It'll just be coffee. Have a chat, make a new friend, maybe meet the vixen of your dreams. What do you have to lose? I will handle everything, so all you have to do is be in attendance."

"This whole thing has just reached a new level of creepy on so many levels. Please, stop obsessing over my love life, Carrots, I'm begging you."

"No-can-do, I made a promise to be your eternal wing-mammal. When I make a promise, I keep it, and when I decide to do something the only outcome I'm willing to accept is **total** success."

"Have you ever considered that this approach you have to dating is maybe why those bunny suitors you attract always seem to disappear after the first date?"

"I'm a bit intense - don't expect me to apologize for it."

"Your neighbours are starting to rub off on you."

"Pff, yeah, maybe. So, what do you say? Will you at least sit down with Daisy? Just for an hour?"

"No."

"What? Why not?"

Nick could sense the beginnings of an argument on the horizon; one that had been brewing for weeks. He realized it was probably best not to have it in the bullpen, but at the same time, he was growing tired of avoiding it; of playing this game with her. Outwardly they seemed back to their old selves. Laughing and joking, even flirting like they used to. Underneath it though, when others weren't looking, they were engaged in a kind of cold war, filled with constant moments of ceasefire. They had nearly ended up beyond the bounds of intimacy enjoyed by friends, even best friends, several times. The aftermath of which was always a fight or total denial. The whole thing was an insane clusterfluffle and Nick wasn't blameless by any means. Hell, self destructive behavior was nothing new. Still, the unhealthy mess that of, whatever they were, was taking a heavy toll. One that he wasn't sure he could stand to pay any longer.

"I'm not interested. She's... not my type. When I'm ready to start dating you know exactly what I'm going to be looking for."

"Yeah, and I know that you're going to end up getting hurt. I know that it's never going to work. Come _on_ Nick. You're killing me!"

Just then, to Nick's intense relief, Bogo came striding in with a proverbial and ever-present rain cloud hanging over his head. "Shut it! All of you!"

Judy flicked off the dating app and stuffed her phone into her pocket.

Bogo took a moment to properly stare down the room. "Everyone will be continuing their assignments from last week." He let that settle for a few seconds as he glanced around. "I realize things have been slow lately. And, due to this, I have been noticing a growing level of complacency throughout the entire precinct. To remedy this issue I've taken the liberty of hiring a new member to our support team."

At that moment a rabbit walked through the door and stood next to the podium Bogo was standing behind.

He was taller than Judy, with piercing blue eyes, and grey fur so light it could almost have been white. The tops of his ears as well as his cheeks were marked by black tiger stripes, which appeared to Nick to be some kind of fur tattoos; although, they had been so expertly done he wasn't exactly sure.

Bogo hadn't spoken since the newcomer entered the room so the rabbit took the silence as an invitation to introduce himself. He carried a light, but refined accent; enunciating and wrapping his mouth precisely around his words in a melodic voice.

"Good morning. My name is Jack Savage and I've been hired here under the title of Professional Skill Development Counsellor. If you are wondering what that means, I don't blame you. To put it simply, I am tasked with assessing your strengths and weaknesses. After I have done that, I will work with you one-on-one to improve your skills, so as to make each and every mammal here a more well-rounded officer. You're probably wondering how a small mammal such as myself intends to do that. Well, over the last fifteen years I have taught at the royal military academy in Renhearth. I have been on the ground leading operations in multiple active warzones. For several years I was with the Animalia Intelligence Agency as well as the Special Forces. Before leaving the military I held the rank of major."

One of the larger mammals from the back of the room called out snidely, "So what the hell are you doing here then?"

Chief Bogo breathed in deeply and the officers present all prepared for the imminent explosion but Jack interrupted him before he had a chance to let loose. "It's quite alright chief. It is a legitimate question. I've spent the last decade in a job where secrets were the currency by which I lived my life and I have no desire to continue that trend. So, I am going to begin by telling you the truth."

As he said this, Jack reached down and pulled up on his left pant leg, revealing to everyone present that his foot and ankle were actually clever prosthetics. Fake rabbit fur ended a few inches up his shin, becoming a titanium pole, which connected to a stump located just below his calf. He held the fabric of his pant for several seconds before dropping it.

"The truth is I am no longer of use to the AIA or the ASF. When I told my superiors I wanted to move to Zootopia, they created a position for me here at the ZPD. Make no mistake, the job I've been given here is basically a retirement package. I could easily sit at my desk and play zoitaire for the next twenty years and never be fired, let alone reprimanded. That, however, is not what I intend to do. I have knowledge and skills that will be useful to you. The chief has informed me that I can have one officer at a time, for five day stints, but only if they choose to volunteer. Should any of you wish to do so, please come and see me and we will arrange it. With that, I thank you all for your time. I hope, and look forward to working with each of you."

Bogo's eyes were actually bulging a little by the end. He got it under control quickly and addressed the room, "Thank you, Mr. Savage, for that very, ' _candid_ ' introduction." Then re-addressing those seated, "What he said is true, no one is required to sign-up for personal development training, **but,** I strongly suggest that you take this opportunity. I've gone over Mr. Savage's service records and they are impressive to say the least. I want someone to begin the training as of now through to the end of the week. If no one volunteers to go first, then prepare to be vollen-told. Who's it going to be?"

* * *

At one point during Jack's speech Nick's gaze fell to Judy. The look in her eyes, as she stared at the rabbit standing in front of them, could easily have been described as _dreamy_. Nick found himself fighting a war inside his own head.

" _So this is it. This blue eyed little war hero is going to be the one who puts the final nail in the coffin. Judy will get to know him. It'll be love at first sight. Hangouts with Nick will turn into hangouts with Nick and Jack, and then just Jack. No… I won't allow myself to suffer this sad soap opera. I can't stomach it!"_

Meanwhile, Bogo had just asked for a volunteer.

Nick, still focused on Judy's expression, witnessed the exact moment, which in her mind, she had decided to be the first - her body beginning to tense, jaw clenching with barely suppressed excitement that was the signature of her exuberant nature.

" _Accept it Nick, she cannot, will not, see you as a mate. Give it up. Let her be happy. Be there at the wedding and make a nice speech. Get invited over for barbecues and watch them enjoy their perfect life with their boatload of adorable kits. You've got a jumbo sized shit sandwich sitting right in front of you son, and the only way you can move forward is to take a big fat bite."_

"I Volunteer!" Nick literally screamed it just as Judy's hand was beginning to rise.

The entire room was stunned silent by his outburst. Nick felt his ears jut out in embarrassment.

"Sorry, just… excited! Like I said, I volunteer for the, uh, thing."

Bogo positioned his glasses over his snout, "Wilde, you are the _last_ mammal I expected. What exactly are you trying to weasel here?"

"Chief, weasels are some of the most misrepresented mammals in Zootopia and I would appreciate it if you didn't use those kinds of slurs. As for volunteering, I underestimated a bunny once and I don't plan to let it happen again."

The chief huffed, "Whatever, Hopps you're with Pennington and Andersen for the week. Wilde, you will report to Savage at once. For the next five days consider him to be your superior. Thankfully, I won't need to see you here again until next Monday." With a final ill tempered survey of the room, Bogo waved a hoof, "Dis-missed!"

The officers in attendance began to filter out on mass. Francine waved her trunk at them happily as she tromped her way out the door.

Judy just squinted at Nick. It felt like the little bunny was trying to drill a hole in his skull with her stare. Finally, she pointed two fingers at her eyes and then flipped them around towards him, speaking low, "I don't know what you're up to but I'm going to find _out_. You have a date this Saturday at five, Coffee Junction on Railway Avenue. Try and ' _fox_ ' your way out of this one and there - will - be - **pain**." Then in her usual bubbly voice, "Have a great week Nick. I'll miss ya!"

Moments later she literally hopped out the door.

" _God she can be scary sometimes…"_

Sitting alone, lost in his thoughts, Nick didn't notice at first, but something was causing the hairs on the back of his neck to tingle. Alerted by the sensation, he scanned the room only to find that the other bunny, Jack, was still standing exactly where he had been since the start of the briefing.

" _He's so quiet. How did I not notice him?"_

"Uh, hey, Jack right? The whole weird, 'thing' you're doing is uh... pretty neat. Probably won't make you many friends at parties though."

Jack continued to gaze at him unblinking. His look was almost in the same category as Nick's own patented 'smug' face. However, Jack was wearing an expression that Nick might have described as a mixture of, 'violently neutral', and 'boredly impassive'.

"Yeah so, what kind of a name is Savage anyway? Bout' the least rabbity name I've ever heard. No offence."

Jack finally came to life, walking up to Nick with his arms crossed, "What was it that alerted you to my presence a moment ago?"

"Sorry, what was it? I don't know what-"

"You were daydreaming, and then suddenly something made you wake up and look around the room. What was it?"

Nick opened and closed his mouth in surprise as he tried to process the question, "I- I don't know. A feeling I guess. You know that feeling of being watched, like a little itch at the back of your mind... actually, that sounds crazy, forget I said that."

Jack smiled for the first time since he had entered the room, "No, you are right. What you did was something most of the officers here may never fully achieve. By that, I mean you listened to your instincts. Being tuned into that part of yourself is something I suspect you gained from your time on the streets - from thinking on your feet. It's a valuable skill, something that can't be taught. I'm not surprised though, after all the impressive things I've heard about you. "

Nick crossed his arms feeling somewhat defensive and a little embarrassed. " _Is he praising me?"_

"It seems you know quite a lot about me."

Jack nodded while maintaining his intense eye contact, "I admit that, of everyone here, I was most interested in getting to work with _you_ , Officer Wilde. And to answer your other question, my birth name was 'Clover', which is about as stereotypically bunny as you can get. Also, for the record, I'm actually part hare."

Nick couldn't stop himself from following that with barely contained mirth, "So what do you prefer to be called - a Habit or a Rare? I should also ask... Officer Hopps is pretty sensitive about being called 'cute'. Is that word going to be a problem for you as well?"

Jack's smile widened, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "To be perfectly honest, you can call me whatever you so desire, including cute. I like to think I can give just as good as I get, so be prepared for swift retaliation if that's the road you choose to go down."

"Alright then Stripes, I'll be sure to take that into consideration."

"Good to hear Nicholas. Now, first thing I want you to do is to go get some civilian clothes on and meet me out front. Leave your badge and gun in your locker."

"Only my mother calls me Nicholas."

"You call me Stripes, I call you Nicholas - tit for tat. I'll see you in ten minutes... Nicholas."

Just as Jack was starting to head out the door, Nick spoke a final time from behind him.

"Hey, Clover, any chance you'll tell me what we're going to be doing this week."

"Well Piberius, first I was thinking we would get something to eat. Then, after a bit of preparation and a few drinks, I intend to hustle a couple of very bad mammals out of some very valuable information."

Nick was left standing alone, both, slightly interested, and decidedly unsure. " _How the hell did he learn my middle name? Why am I even doing this? Just to delay the inevitable for one more week? When did I become so pathetic?"_

His internal struggles aside, Nick only knew one thing for sure; he needed to regain his balance. He also needed to, and in as short a time as possible, get a read on this unusual rabbit; Jack Savage.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive to Tundratown had been quiet. After thirty minutes sitting in the clean but unremarkable interior of Jack's car, they came to a tiny, nearly unmarked alcove, which led to a set of stairs on the mostly deserted road.

Parking on the snowy, industry surrounded street, Jack stepped out of his car and motioned for Nick to follow. The two trudged up creaky wooden steps to a dented metal door with no apparent handle. Jack placed his hand against it briefly before Nick heard a soft click and witnessed as it swung toward them ever so slightly. The rabbit hastily slipped inside. "Close it behind you."

Nick followed carefully. He had begun to feel uneasy about everything that was happening and his senses were kicking into a heightened level of alertness.

Following Jack, Nick was momentarily stunned.

Inside it was warm and bright. The floors were hardwood, while the ceiling was painted piping and metal beams, almost two stories high. The windowless space was huge but inviting with several couches and throw rugs arranged across the floor. In the corner was an open kitchen - a huge marble counter top dominated area, surrounded by high stools and illuminated by elegant, low hanging Edison lights.

Nick spotted a massive wall mounted television, a well stocked bar, and a spiralling staircase which led up to a loft style bedroom. Still in awe, Nick's attention was finally drawn away from the spectacular apartment when Jack pressed a button by the door and a fireplace across the room sprang to life with a soft whoosh.

"Throw your coat anywhere. Do you like halibut?"

Nick was still too stunned to approach the current conversation with his usual level of snark. "I love it. Haven't had any in awhile. Lost most of my luxuries when I had to pay my back-taxes."

"Well, I've been told I make a passable filet. Hopefully it won't disappoint. Do you feel like a beer or would you prefer wine. I have a nice red and a tolerable white."

Nick laughed, "Well since you sold the white so… very… uh."

His mind had been all awhirl at everything that was happening. So much so, that he had failed to ask even the most basic of questions. "Is this where you live?"

"It is indeed."

"And you are what? Making brunch?"

Jack was just opening the refrigerator when he spoke again, "You are again correct my good Mr. Wilde."

"And you are okay with me drinking alcohol while on duty," Nick checked his watch, "at 10:45 in the morning."

Jack placed a few items on the counter top. "I have some champagne. We could mix it with orange juice and make mimosas if you feel that is a more appropriate refreshment for this early hour. But, if you're referring to police regulations, like your delightful chief mentioned this morning, I'm currently your superior, so I make the rules. And, I feel like a few drinks before lunch is a must."

Nick found himself in the rare situation where he was utterly lost for words. Jack had already pulled out some pans when he motioned to him,

"Come on, take a seat at the counter. Mind if I call you Nick by the way? For what I have planned it will help if we are able to skip past some of the formalities."

Nick let his eyebrows perk slightly, "Fine by me, Stripes. Care to let me in on these plans?"

Instead of answering Jack just smiled and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Using his teeth he popped the cap off the bottle, shot Nick a wink, and spit it half way across the kitchen into a blue bucket marked 'recycling'. It ticked off the wall before dropping into the intended receptacle. Jack set the cold beer out for Nick and resumed brunch preparations.

Nick's eyebrows went up all the way, "That's a neat trick. You need to show me how you did that."

"Sorry, trade bunny secret. I'd show you, but then I'd have to hug you."

"I see."

"Hmm, so Nick, I was hoping you would allow me to test you a little bit before we start."

"I've never been one for tests really."

"Don't worry, for you, this should be easy. Just tell me what you've been able to gather about me in the short time we've been acquainted. If I'm impressed, I'll not only tell you the plan, but I'll put you in charge of executing it."

"Putting me in charge on day one? I didn't really take you for the trusting type."

"I'm not. Or at least I wasn't. Things are different now though. I made a promise and now I'm just waiting to see how it all pans out. But that's not important. Go ahead, give me your best impression - in your honest estimation, _who is_ Jack Savage?"

Nick took a moment to consider. How much of his hand should he show? He unconsciously took a sip from his beer before remembering that it was still ten in the morning.

"I've never seen someone, with a prosthetic like yours, walk with such a natural gait. You must have spent ages practising to make your stride as smooth as it is. When you showed us your leg this morning, I could see your scars were still red and raised, although fully healed. So, I'm guessing it happened what? Two years ago at the most. It causes you pain, maybe a lot. Willing to bet your leg isn't the extent of the wound either. I noticed as well, the way you hold eye contact with me. When I flash my teeth you become more receptive in your body language. In my experience, when confronted with teeth and claws, just about every prey animal I've ever met - they pull back, even if it's in the tiniest of ways. I don't think it's possible to fully get over that kind of instinct unless of course, you actually _like_ teeth. And at the risk of causing insult, I'm guessing, for you, that is the case. You have a spot on your ring finger where the fur has grown in flat, you eat fish... so here is my rough guess.  
You were married. And, strange as it sounds, I'm pretty sure it was to a predator. Taking a shot in the dark I'm going to say... a Siberian tiger, judging by your markings. They look pretty cool by the way, although they make you stick out like a sore thumb. You'll be remembered just about everywhere you go, so I'm guessing you got them after you stopped being a spy, or whatever. Anyway, since you got the tattoos, maybe as a memento? I think your wife likely died, or won't return your phone calls. If I go by my gut though, I would guess she died - around the same time you lost your foot. How's _that_ for a start?"

Jack's face had become very sober. Nick could see that he wore a mask much like his own. He was aiming for a reaction from Jack, just to level the playing field a bit, but now he hoped he hadn't stepped over the line.

"I'm impressed, and you were correct on almost all accounts. I came here to train members of the ZPD, yes, but I had an ulterior motive. I am willing to tell you everything if you are agree to keep the sensitive parts of what I reveal a secret. You aren't required to go along with this mission of mine and you should know that it won't be sanctioned by the ZPD in any way. If you don't help me though, that will be it. Believe it or not, you are my only real hope at success, so the decision of whether this ever moves forward is up to you."

Nick listened passively. He really was quite curious to know what Jack was talking about. He also considered that if the rabbit was about to suggest something illegal, he might have found a way to nip his little 'Jack Savage' problem in the bud.

"So, are you saying you planned on training members of the ZPD in the hopes that someday _I_ would volunteer?"

"That's right. I had expected it to take some time. It was a stroke of blind luck that you were the first."

Nick locked eyes with the strange rabbit for a moment, waiting for him to flinch or back down. he didn't.

"Alright, I can agree to be discrete, this stays between us."

Jack allowed himself a real smile for perhaps the first time since they had met. Something about it actually warmed Nick a bit. It reminded him of something. It made Jack suddenly look younger - more fragile.

"As I said before, you were mostly correct in your assessment but you missed a few key facts. First, my Husband, Marco, was a Siberian tiger-"

"Wait, did you say husband?"

"Yes, and you were correct again when you said that he died at the same time that I lost my leg."

Nick rapidly felt his sour demeanour changing for the better. "So you're gay? Like one hundred percent, not into girls, dead-to-rights, homosexual… for-life gay?"

Jack just looked at Nick for a moment with an odd, slightly put-out expression before saying, "Is that going to be a problem Officer Wilde?"

" _Oh my god this is too good! Judy is going to bomb hard! I am_ _ **so**_ _going to mess with her."_

"Problem? Are you kidding me? I love that you're gay! And inter-species, with a massive height difference to boot, wow. You guys were pioneers. I support the heck out of that. Seriously, you just made my day! ...uh, and… uh, and Jack I… I'm sorry to hear that you lost your husband. I know something of what it's like to lose the person you love the most."

A range of emotions crossed Jack's face as Nick spoke, and by the end he had softened greatly, his eyes slightly glazed.

"That's… it's nice to finally meet someone who does."

Nick was inwardly shocked to see the barriers of Jack's facade drop for a few seconds. In that time he glimpsed a face he knew all too well. It was the face he'd worn in the days after Judy had rejected him; the face of a broken heart.

Collecting himself, Jack cleared his throat as he went about flipping the fish that was frying in the pan; adding a little salt. "So, back to what I was saying. My husband and I were in the same squad. We were a part of a small and highly skilled group that specialized in anti-terrorism. During one of our operations, the car that Marco was in ran over an IED and was destroyed. A piece of shrapnel from the explosion cut through _my_ vehicle and severed my leg, another shard pierced my abdomen and slid right up next to my spine. I spent almost two years recovering both mentally and physically. The tattoos I wear are, like you said, a way for me to remember him. I also decided to take his last name. Something I was never willing to do when he was alive. We spent so much time just hiding what we were… I was afraid and ashamed of what others would say. It's something I will regret for the rest of my life... I swore though, I will never live like that again."

Jack lapsed into silence, his expression had become grim, his walls again faltering as his eyes became watery; but, he didn't shed tears. Nick sensed a deep well of feeling churning just below the surface of Jack's stoic features. He couldn't help but feel something of a kinship with him. And now that he knew Jack wasn't going to be a rival for Judy's affections, Nick even found himself wanting to befriend this unusual rabbit.

"I'm sure he would have been proud of how far you've come."

Again, Jack smiled sadly, "I hope so. But, there is still something I need to do in order to make things right. You see, the explosive that took out our convoy was designed here in Zootopia. It was military grade and that was how it was able to penetrate our vehicles armour. I've spent every free moment of the last few years trying to figure out who sold the insurgence such advanced weapons, as well as how they got out of the military's hands. The crux of all this is that _you_ , Nick, happen to be acquainted with the two arms dealers who sold the bombs that killed my husband. So, what I need from you is help in getting close to them."

Nick felt an icy shudder travel up his spine. "I- I never dealt in weapons. Way too high profile for me. Guns are rare in Zootopia and if there was even a whisper of them I would have made myself scarce."

"I believe you." Nick was relieved to see no hidden accusation in Jack's eyes as he continued, "The two mammals in question have only recently upped their game. You would have known them before they started seriously selling weapons. Do you remember an Andrey Scaro and Pavel Znarlvitch?"

"Andy and Pasha? Y- yeah, they were a couple of polar bears. Hired muscle who worked for Mr. Big back in the day. From what I remember, someone caught them being a little bit more then friends, and by that I mean grand-mama found them sixty-nining in the wine cellar. After that they were kicked out of the family and excommunicated. I haven't spoken to either of them for nearly a decade."

Jack removed the fish from the pan. After cutting the fillet in two, and placing it alongside a few fresh vegetables, he said, "In the last ten years those two have done well for themselves. They're married now, and kept the last name Znarlvitch. About five years ago they opened a nightclub. You may have heard of it, 'The Jungle'. It caters to a very wide variety of tastes; LGBT as well as interspecies. Recently, they've been using the club as a meeting point for drug and weapons deals."

Nick swallowed the bite of fish he was savouring. He had to admit, it was delicious. "If they sell guns and drugs why isn't this something that could be given over to the ZPD?"

"Unfortunately, I have very little actionable proof. At least none that I can give to the ZPD without opening Pandora's Box. The Znarlvitch's are also seen by many to be community leaders in promoting tolerance and funding gay outreach. No-mammal at the ZPD or city hall is looking to bring these two down. Not yet anyway."

Nick scratched at his muzzle in thought. "If your plan is to take revenge through violence I won't be participating."

Jack shook his head, "No, that goes against a promise that I made. I brought some pretty advanced tech with me from my last career. Give me a minute alone with one of their cell phones or computers and I'll have everything I need. I want them in jail, not dead. More than anything, I want to find out who it was that sold them the explosives. Once I have enough evidence, a friend of mine at the AIA will pass it on to the authorities for me."

Nick sat back as he chewed another mouthful of his meal. Taking a long draw from his beer, he tapped his fork on his plate a few times before finally coming to a decision. "Fine, I'm in. Sounds more fun than professional development training anyway. However, I'm not getting killed for this. If I get the slightest feeling that things are going south then we both walk, no complaints or questions asked."

Jack nodded, and offered his hand. "Deal. This is going to be as low risk as we can make it - no weapons, no wires."

"Hmm," finishing his brunch, Nick nodded. Shaking Jack's hand he pushed his plate away, "So you said you had a plan. Care to explain?"

Jack actually grimaced slightly, "Truth be told it's fairly simple. I'll assume a false identity and accompany you to the club as your date. When you get a chance, you contact our two polar bears. At some point during the ensuing conversation you'll find me an opportunity to get ahold of one of their phones or distract them while I gain access to their private computers. I'm embarrassed to admit that's as much as I have. I wasn't lying when I said I wanted you to take charge of the plan."

Nick finished his beer in one long swig before letting out a resounding belch. "Well, it looks like you really do need my help. And you expect me to be your 'date' huh?"

"Is that going to make you uncomfortable?"

"...No. Hell, I've pulled hustles before where I was dressing in drag for weeks. Went so far once I ended up getting to second base with a sleazy skunk with a shaving fetish."

Jack tried to stifle a snort of laughter but failed, "Okay, I would very much like to hear this story from the beginning."

"Sorry Stripes, I've got my own trade secrets to protect. Anyway, what I was getting at was that firstly, you are going to be my fiancé. It'll play better with our gay, married, marks. I can spin for sympathy a hundred different ways if I decide to reveal your peg leg."

Jack expression soured.

"Is _that_ going to be a problem?"

Jack twisted his lip before shaking himself slightly. "I'll be fine. What else should we do?"

"Well, when we get in there I want you to take on a more submissive role. Be shy, quiet and follow my lead. The point being that the meeker you are, the more likely they'll be to dismiss you, and that's going to be what gets you close enough to steal their data."

"Fine, meek has never been my style but I can play the part. What else?"

"This is likely going to take more than one night. We need to maintain a presence at the club for a few days. Just enjoy ourselves and if at all possible get into the eye line of Andy and Pasha. If they see us a few times, just minding our own business, they'll be more at ease later on. I don't think we should confront them, if at all possible, until day three or four."

Jack was nodding again and looking mollified, "I agree. I felt that we needed to spend the week building a presence for ourselves before making a move. I didn't think you would be willing to put that level of time into this so I didn't mention it."

"Why do you cute bunnies always underestimate me? I'm a professional. Or I used to be anyway. When we make our move, we'll be ready. So, what's the name of this persona of yours?"

"Jake Lapins. I have a full set of identificati-"

"Seriously? Your name is Jack and you go with Jake? How hard would it be to change the name by tonight?"

"Very hard."

"Impossible?"

"No."

"Good. Get yourself all made up and get a new driver's licence. Call yourself… Max or something. Don't go nuts with the fur colour. You need to blend in, be unremarkable. We should both spend the day getting into character. You get your wallet made up, I think I could use some time to think."

Jack sighed, looking none-too-thrilled. He collected the dishes off the counter and put them into the sink. "Do as you wish so long as you're here to pick me up sometime before midnight. Also, you are free to come and go from my apartment whenever you like. Place your hand on the door and it will read your biorhythm. I already added you to the system."

Nick glanced back at him as he gathered his coat. "And how the heck did you get my bio-rhythm… whatever that is."

Jack only smiled as he rolled up his sleeves and began washing the pans he had used for cooking.

With a shake of his head, Nick walked out the door.

* * *

Nick enjoyed that afternoon by getting some much needed rest. After he awoke, close to dinner, he started immediately to prepare for that night. His fur needed to look its best; that meant conditioning and intense brushing. He even found some sparkly, shine-paste that he had regrettably used back in his late twenties. Surprisingly, the paste still seemed okay, albeit a bit runnier then it probably should have been.

Out of his closet he grabbed the most flamboyant shirt he could find. Suffice it to say, he could have been center stage at pride with the thing on, and no one would have batted an eye. Next he pulled out an old pair of jeans that he'd worn before attending the academy. Since then, he'd bulked up a fair amount; so, many of his old clothes didn't fit quite right. This meant that the pants were tight, like, really tight. Finally, to complete the ensemble, he dug through his mother's old beading kit and constructed a passably tacky, triple-looped, rainbow bracelet.

At around eleven Nick called a cab which took him back to Jack's apartment. On the way he tried to mentally prepare. He wanted to appear on people's gaydar but only as a blip, not a resounding ping. That meant subtlety. That meant forgoing most gay affectations and being subtle. Thinking on this he didn't realize he had arrived until someone opened the cab door and quietly slid into the seat next to him.

The rabbit, Jack, had every inch of his fur dyed a pitch, shiny black. Even his prosthetic was matching and his leg seemed to be padded with some kind of foam to give it a more life-like look. His eyes were a deep gold; very expensive contacts if Nick judged correctly.

Like nick, he was wearing jeans. But, while Nick's pants were tight, Jacks fit like a second skin. Made with female consumers in mind, they had small rhinestone embellishments along the hips, as well as a cut that was made to accentuate and round out the booty. A part of Nick's subconscious noted that Jack filled them out surprisingly well.

Jack also wore a short, pink, tank-top which showed off the lean corded muscle of his arms and pectorals. In his right ear was a small diamond stud and on his finger a jewelled engagement ring.

The whole thing was way, way too much... and yet, Nick had to admit that it kind of worked.

Jack moved across the seat until he was pressed up next to him. With one hand he palmed him a gold band which Nick deftly slid onto his finger. With the other hand, Jack trailed lightly across Nick's chest, letting his paw roam upwards until he sunk his fingers into the fur around his neck.

"Hey, babe." Jack said it very quietly, and without a hint of his usual accent. He spoke now in a slightly higher register than his natural voice. It was what some would consider a stereotypically gay lilt. Yet, he seemed so practiced at it, that it didn't feel forced.

Jack proceeded to stand on the seat and without hesitation, locked his lips against Nick's. His mouth falling open slightly, he let his tongue flick out and drag across the roof of Nick's mouth before pressing forward again, deepening the kiss.

Nick wasn't prepared for any of this, and so just focused on not freezing up as he scrambled to get a handle on what was happening. Almost immediately he felt a pleasant stirring throughout his entire body which he definitely hadn't anticipated. Outwardly he remained calm, but inwardly his brain was skipping like a broken record.

A few moments later Jack withdrew and slid down next to him. The rabbit let his hand run lightly from the top of Nick's quad down along his inner thigh. Nick had to fight to keep his eyes from bugging out of his head. He didn't trust himself to speak or move.

" _Holy shit! He just… I said meek! What happened to blending into the background!?"_

Nick was saved by the cab driver who spoke with no small hint of annoyance, "If yous two are gonna just sit there an jerk eachotha' off, fine by me. But I'm chargin' max rate startin' now."

Jack pulled away slightly, removing his hand from where it had been resting next to Nick's crotch.

Fighting not to stammer, Nick managed to say lightly, "Sorry about that, could you take us to, 'The Jungle'... it's a nightclub downtown."

"Yea I know where it is. Be warned, if'in I look back there an someone's got their dick out, I'm kickin' yah both to the curb - understood?"

Nick gave a weak thumbs-up while Jack just smiled and winked. The cab driver grumbled for a moment but put the car into gear. Jack's apartment retreated from sight as they made their way towards the centre of neon lit Zootopia.

Half a minute later, Nick nearly jumped out of his seat when he felt a paw running through his fur just above his belt and below his navel. He carefully grabbed the questing paw, stilling its progress.

Looking down he found it difficult to make out Jack's expression. It wasn't until the light of a streetlamp flickered past that he caught a glimpse of the rabbits sparkling eyes staring up at him, and a wide smile, utterly dripping with coquettish mischief and coy amusement.

Drawing Jack's hand away from his stomach Nick gulped in trepidation.

" _What have I gotten myself into?"_


	3. Chapter 3

The cab ride turned out to be fairly short and as they drew towards the city center, a pair of roving spot lights made the 'The Jungle' unmistakeable among the crowded downtown nightlife.

Their ride rolled to a stop. Before them loomed a large two-story building, dripping in lights. The outer walls were all but hidden by a pastel jungle facade that clung to its exterior. A line of mammals were already beginning to form around the block.

If Nick had thought his shirt, or even Jack's ensemble was over-the-top, he needed only to look around to realize he was one of the most subdued mammals there.

Thankfully, having arrived fairly early, the line moved fairly quickly. They didn't speak much while they stood waiting, instead content to listen to the various mammals standing around them. One young giraffe was wearing a shimmering golden unitard, with a string of what must have been Christmas lights looping around his long neck. His group's main topic of discussion being the prodigious nature of his tongue coupled with a detailed description of its various exploits.

As they neared the entrance to the club, Jack, who was nestled up under nick's arm, took his hand out of Nick's back pocket and unexpectedly began to stroke the base of his tail. Nick didn't have time to steel himself before a pleasurable shutter rushed up his back and his balls pulled tightly against his body.

 _"Damn it!"_

He had to clamp his teeth together to stop from gasping. A moment later, Nick leaned down over the bunny as he whispered in annoyance, pretending to kiss him lightly against the base of his ear, "Max."

"Yes, Nicky?"

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Loosening you up a little, you're acting like a c. o. p." Jack whispered back, never for a moment losing his satisfied grin.

Immediately, Jack's hand clamped down again before Nick even had a chance to right himself; the rabbit's soft paw looping around the base of Nick's tail, stroking slowly with a strong grip. Jack's small claws trailed into the fur on the underside, sending shockwaves down up Nick's spine and through to the tip of his sleeping foxhood.

Nick froze as a low gasp involuntarily escaped him. Jack kept stroking, and Nick felt muscles in his groin relax. Doing his best not to draw any attention to them, Nick swatted Jack's hand away from his tail.

"Stop that!" he hissed, "Do you have any idea how sensitive foxes are back there?"

Jack took the hand that had been pressed up against Nick's scent gland and began to rub it along the fur at his neck and face.

"Not my fault you forgot to mark me Nicky, we are engaged after all. Wouldn't make sense for me to go in there without your scent on me now, would it."

Rationally Nick had to agree, however, his instinctive mind was interpreting the intimate touch very differently. Looking down Nick confirmed the obvious bulge that had appeared in his pants; the tight jeans made it fairly impossible to mistake.

 _"Spectacular. Go away you traitor! Ok, think unsexy thoughts... ninety year old goat grannies with beards down to their-"_

Nick's thoughts were cut short as they were confronted a bouncer who boredly asked for their ID. Nick was still off-balance and shook himself; the feel of Jack's touch was still lingering heavily. He knew there was no way he could hide his sudden erection, so, having no other choice, fished out his driver's licence and handed it over. The bouncer looked them both over for a few seconds, going so far as to glance at Nick with a raised eyebrow before waving them in.

Nick was going to have a serious chat with Jack when this was all over.

 _"I'm either going to punch him in the mouth or bend him over aaaa-"_

He physically tried to shake a sudden erotic thought from his mind but failed miserably. The tightness in his Jeans became ever more apparent and he swore under his breath.

Inside the club a heavy electronic beat was pounding. Most mammals were drinking or dancing as the music was too loud for any sort of meaningful conversation to occur.

They hit the bar first and, using a bit of special nightclub sign language he had acquired as a youth, Nick managed to get them several rounds of shots - he fully intended to drink the majority. In his estimation, alcohol was the immediate, and probably best, method of putting out of his mind the fact that Jack was looking him over with a somewhat lusty smile… and that he was currently sporting a rock-hard erection… and that he was finding Jack to be sort of attractive.

It was all quite confusing. It made Nick wonder if maybe he was just attracted to rabbits in general; something about them was so soft and fragile. Jack was a combination of things, both curvaceous and angular, the lean 'V' of his abdomen which peaked out from below his tank-top , the round but firm definition of his hips, his thin but muscular neck which traveled down to slight bow of the spine, leading to a perfect heart shaped puff...

 _"Nope! Stop. Stop thinking thoughts. New plan, get piss drunk as fast as possible."_

Nick quickly downed two shots before Jack swatted at him, laying claim to his fair share. The two polished off half a dozen more between them in less than a minute.

Not long after, they found themselves on the dance floor as the beat changed, turning into a thumping rhythm that buzzed through their skulls. The alcohol, whatever it was, did its work, and before long the two were dancing together casually.

...

A few hours later, more drinks and more dancing, Jack and Nick were about as loose as they could be; dripping with sweat they pressed together, practically grinding.

By this point Nick was most definitely drunk, and as far as he could tell, Jack had to be at least as far gone. They had been back to the bar several times. He didn't remember ever having danced this much in his life. His moves were terrible, but the general populous of the club was so outlandish that nothing he did felt the least bit unusual. In truth, he was having trouble remembering why they were even there. He was having fun though, that was for damn sure; more fun then he'd had in years… this place was really awesome, and everyone was so nice, and just having a blast… and Jack could really move. He looked good doing it too. Hell, he was really attractive, Nick realized, having a major drunken epiphany. He even decided to say it out loud. Well not _say_ it exactly, more like yelled, "Ja... uh-mean... Max, you know, yur priddy fucging hot!"

Perhaps that was how the two of them ended up in one of the private booths.

Pulling back for breath Nick realized that they had been making out for... a while? Nick's shirt was unbuttoned and Jack was slowly… slipping his hands down his pants. And then… someone, a bouncer, was telling them to break it up. They laughed uproariously and swore drunken slurs at the authoritarian dickhead as they tottered back to the bar… and then… well…?

* * *

Nick woke the next afternoon feeling like someone had cracked him over the skull with a baseball bat. A thin ray of light shot through his bedroom window; it lanced the thin membrane of his closed eyelids and proceeded to cruelly stab him repeatedly in the brain. With a groan he tried to roll away from the offending brightness only to come in contact with something silky and fluffy… and breathing.

 _"Oh no."_

Opening and closing his eyes rapidly Nick fought to un-blur his vision enough to make out the figure lying next to him. Finally, his pupils adjusting to the darkness, he got a good look at the sleeping rabbit. It was Jack, obviously, and he was very naked.

Moving slightly under the covers Nick realized something else.

 _"I'm naked… No. No way. I bet we just fell asleep together because we were really drunk… aaaand at some point we took off all our clothes… because it was… warm?"_

Jack rolled towards him; softly inhaling. This gave Nick a good look at the final piece of this sorry puzzle. Trailing from the rabbit's mouth, across his face and down his neck was an unmistakable, crusty, matted mess. It stood out starkly against his dyed black fur.

 _"Oh shit!"_

Nick realized too late that he'd said it out loud. Jack's eyes snapped open and unmoving, he stared at Nick in passive bewilderment. Nick witnessed several realizations sink into Jack's consciousness as his nose began to twitch rapidly. The expression reminded him a bit of Judy.

 _"… Judy…"_

Jack cleared his throat finally, his voice coming out in a rasp, his tone and accent having returned to normal.

"Oh. Hi, Nicky… or, uh, Nicholas. Nick. H-how are you feeling?" Jack swallowed trying to clear the dryness from his throat. A pained look crossed his face as he continued, "Personally, I feel like someone's driving a nail into my head."

"Me? I'm feeling absolutely _fabulous._ " Nick let his caustic sarcasm sink in as an apprehensive and apologetic look came over Jack's features. Nick continued, a hint of anger in his voice, "We need to talk. I don't know what the hell happened last night. That's partly because you were way out of line, and partly because I am having a hard time remembering. How did I get home? What did we _do_ … exactly?"

A nervous grin wavered on Jack's face. "W-Well, we took a cab back to your place. As for the rest, do you want the absolute truth, or an elaborate fiction?"

Nick considered this for a moment, "I think something in between please."

"Oh- okay. Well… you see, we came back to your house and we really wanted to do something fun. So, we decided to... uh, play a game. We got kind of rowdy and, uh… okay, sod this. Look, I gave you a blowjob while I _helped_ myself. Seriously, that's it."

"That's it?"

"Yes, and I'm sorr-"

"That's it!" Nick grabbed his ears and wavered on what might have been a kind of panic.

"N-nick I-"

Nick didn't know how to react. He wanted to be angry but he knew this was as much his fault as it was Jack's. His memory wasn't completely gone. Small flashes of the previous night were bouncing around his head. In his mind's eye he could see himself gripping Jack's ears as he rammed his engorged member down the rabbit's throat; right to the knot. He had definitely wanted it, and he didn't think he'd been gentle.

"Shit!" Nick directed his anger at nothing in particular before whacking his head against his pillow a few times. The outburst seemed to help, because Nick's emotions were quickly cooling, "Jack did I hurt you last night? Did I… force you to do anything?"

Jack's response was immediate. "No. Nicholas, believe me, I _absolutely_ wanted to... my idea really. In fact, it was the best night I've had in a very long time." Jack pointed to a space near the end of the bed, with a lopsided grin. "Don't shine a black light down there unless you're looking for some corroborating evidence."

"Uhhhgh," Nick rubbed his hands over his face, "Ok, great, so what now… what are-"

Jack interrupted by sliding up against him. He spoke in a quieter voice, "Look, we got drunk. We both had fun. There is no need to have an identity crisis over this. If you want, we can chalk it up to getting into character. No one who saw us at the club would have any doubt that we were together. That is, if you are still willing to help me. I would understand if you aren't. I accept that this is my fault, and that I wasn't following your lead. I won't blame you if you want out."

Jack left the statement open so as to sound like a question. Nick searched his feelings for a split second but already knew what his answer would be.

"I said I was in, so I'm in. I'm not going to leave you high and dry, and I never back out of a hustle if I don't absolutely have to. Plus, this was as much my fault as it was yours. I wanted… well, it doesn't matter. And, you're right, objectively, this was a good way to set the stage for when we go back. From now on though we are drinking _way_ less, and my tail, along with anything inside my pants is off limits - deal?"

Jack relaxed visibly and nodded, his head sinking forward until his forehead was pressed against Nick's chest, "Thank you Nick."

Nick let out a deep breath and felt himself relax as well. The headache he had woken up with was a bit less pronounced. "Don't mention it."

The room grew quiet for a minute. Nick retreated back into his mind, slowly grasping at memories from the previous night, trying to find some order to the shattered mess of images. One moment came into focus: Jack swallowing a load of fox spunk, his eyelids fluttering, before drawing back. Nick's length sliding from his mouth only to shoot another long jet down the side of his face. Nick remembered Jack had cum then as well, stroking himself and crying out as he'd spilled onto the bed sheets.

In the present, the feeling of his rapidly renewing arousal brought Nick back to reality. He realized at the same moment, that at some point, he had placed an arm over the rabbit still pressed up against him. Idly he'd been playing with the puff of Jack's tail.

Nick rolled out of bed as if he'd been burned; jumping to the floor and jogging to the washroom. Before closing the door he managed to sputter lamely, "H-hey, I should probably take a shower. You can go next. S-see you in a few minutes." before slamming the bathroom door.

Jack had watched Nick as he scrambled towards the washroom. His (relatively) large member bobbing, half-revealed from its sheath. Jack certainly hadn't planned for any of this to happen. He never thought he'd find himself so attracted to another mammal after Marco… and a fox nonetheless. Still, would he change anything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours? No, no he would not.

Now he needed a plan, several actually, as was his habit from years with the agency. Jack didn't know where this could go or what they might become. Still, he was tired. The guilt and loneliness were worse in many ways then his injury. There was always fear – old habits, old failures, inabilities and incompatibilities. Jack supposed he would have to wait and see. At least he retained one useful skill from his old life; patience.

Jack sighed allowing his mind wander. Minutes later he deciding he wasn't ready to leave the warmth of the bed, he drifted back to sleep as the sound of the shower filled the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Almost thirty minutes after shutting himself in, Nick carefully left the washroom wrapped in a towel. Prepared to tell Jack to take his turn in the shower, he walked over to the bed only to find the rabbit sound asleep. Watching him, the steady rise and fall of his breathing, Nick decided to let him rest, dressing silently with plans to head downstairs and make some breakfast. Yet, as he made ready to leave the room, Nick found his eyes drawn back to the black furred body stretched out on his mattress.

Jack's face was relaxed; calm. The covers pulled down to just below his hips leaving his lean muscular back revealed; the curvature of his backside just barely hidden from view. A few inches above and to the left of his tail was a spot marred by scarring. Some fur in the area had never grown in and what was left was a knot of keloids that branched out like a large stain; pink paint dropped on black canvas.

Nick caught himself leaning forward. He had been about to reach out and touch him, to brush his fingers over his fur.

 _"What am I doing?"_

Hanging above the sleeping bunny, his outstretched paw frozen mid air, Nick found himself torn between confused, conflicting desires. A long moment later he carefully took hold of the sheet and pulled it up to Jack's neck where he let it settle over him. Holding in a breath, he crept from the room, heading downstairs to the kitchen.

Had he looked back on his way out the door, he might have seen a small smile played across Jack's face.

* * *

That night was similar to the first.

Nick and Jack spent the evening dancing and drinking, albeit with less intensity than they had the night before.

They both knew it would be out of character to be standoffish with one another, so, some amount of intimacy was still to be expected. Now however, they endeavored to be more purposeful and less spontaneous. That didn't mean though, that they both couldn't unintentionally enjoy themselves...

Hours of dancing the night before had left nick sore in a variety of unusual places. If not for his training at the academy he'd have most likely been unable to stand, let alone dance. Still, if Nick Wilde was anything, it was a quick learner; determined to excel.

By midnight he was feeling more confident, always striving towards his goal of outdoing his smaller partner, studiously watching the better dancers around him. He noted what seemed easy and adding it to his small but growing repertoire. It didn't mean he could actually bust a move, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try; one of the many ways Judy had rubbed off on him he supposed.

Speaking of dancing… as the first hours of the morning arrived, heavy bass was pounding through the club. Inches before him, Jack sashayed his hips, his lower half always in motion and in time with the beat as he moved his arms above his head; shifting on the balls of his feet.

By body language alone they negotiated the boundaries of what was comfortably intimate, and with every passing hour it seemed that these limits were being tested, almost inevitably.

The music's tempo slowly increased while Nick and Jack eventually ended up pressed together. Nick danced low while Jack stayed on his toes, pressing his butt into the crotch of his jeans, Nick's muzzle propped against the top of his head.

The agreement they made about personal space had included: no tail grabbing and no hands down pants. Those restrictions didn't actually forbid excessive over-the-pants rubbing, so... what they were doing was still totally, mostly fine...

In fact, as any good method actor, Nick was finding as he allowed his mind to fully fall into the role of Max's lover, that he didn't feel troubled by his rising state of desire, by the thrill of mutual lust, or just the incredible comfort he took in just _having_ someone. A growing part of Nick Wilde was savoring this intimate contact - soaking it up like a sponge. And when he asked this starved part of himself, _"What would Max's fiancé do?"_ well, the answer was fairly obvious; continue to dry hump his sweet bunny buns!

Nick was also learning that he had the power to turn the tables on his small companion. He recalled one of his first observations about Jack; his attraction to more… predatory features.

So, as the night neared its end, Nick found himself dragging his paw under Jack's shirt as he pressed his palm up against his well-defined abs. Unsheathing his claws he slowly feathered a caress through the bunny's short fur, softly drawing up, and then brushing down the sweat slicked surface, stopping the progress of his fingers millimeters from an obvious bulge which had been working its way out of the waistband of Jack's pants. The caress was having an definite effect on Jack; he seemed lost in the feeling, trembling as they moved in the semi-lit lightshow of the dance floor.

Nick continued the downward progress of his paw again and again, separating his fingers as they passed ever nearer to the rabbit's obvious erection. Jack shuttered, feeling pushed to his limit, as he pressed himself back harder with undisguised intent.

Nick realized that at the rate they were grinding on each other, he was probably going to end up having an accident in his pants. He wasn't one to be outdone though, so ignoring the voice of protest in his head, he reached down and took hold of Jack's erection through his jeans. Gripping him, he began stroking vigorously; dragging his claws over the tight denim. Meanwhile, his other hand ran all the way up Jack's chest until it took a gentle hold on his neck. As a final touch, Nick caught one of the rabbit's long ears in his teeth and applied a light pressure; growling deep in his throat.

Jack jerked to a stop, faltering, he clapped a hand over his mouth as he moaned and bent forward, his legs shaking.

"Ah-ha, s-shit!" Twitching spastically, almost dropping to his knees, Jack finally mastered himself and sped off the dance floor towards the washrooms. Nick grinned victoriously, feeling simultaneous amusement and frustration at his own painful, slightly rug-burned state of arousal.

Jack returned minutes later looking sour. He had been unable to hide the wet spots along the bottom of his shirt and down the seam of his crotch.

He motioned grumpily that it was time for them to leave. Still smiling Nick just shrugged and followed.

The cab ride home was silent at first, but eventually with a long sigh, Jack scooched over and leaned against Nick's arm.

"New rule, no more competing to see who can make the other make a mess in their pants."

Nick laughed, "Sure thing Stripes, although I think _that_ competition has already been won."

Jack just shook his head and laughed, "Yeah, because you cheated… sly bastard."

"Bit of a sore loser there Mr. Premature?"

Just then the cab pulled to a stop outside Jack's apartment. He and Nick stayed motionless for a moment, both silently wondering the same thing.

Jack turned to him, his whole demeanor softening, "You're right, I'm a sore loser. So, you should… i-if you want… come inside with me."

Nick blinked several times, his heart picking up speed, "A rematch?"

Jack's smile was bright and genuine, "Yeah, I bet I can beat you. Several times if you let me."

Nick's baser mind was screaming, " _Yes! Game on!"_ The words that came out of his mouth though, were, "I don't… think I should tonight."

"No?"

"Sorry."

"So… maybe some other time?"

Nick sighed and rubbed an ear, "Maybe. Probably. I'm just not sure yet. I… I need to think about it."

Jack nodded, "Take all the time you need, don't feel like you're under any pressure either. I'm certainly not going anywhere. But Nicky, that being said, try and look at the facts. How much of this is a game and how much is Nick Wilde? I'll let you figure it out. Remember though, you have access to my place. If at any time, be it in ten minutes, two hours, midday tomorrow or some random night a month from now. You figure it out, come see me. You don't need to ask permission…" Jack stood and kissed the side of Nick's muzzle. "...because I know what **I** want. So, unless you tell me not too…" he brought his face around the side of Nick's head where he kissed him again near the base of his ear, "sometime soon," his voice dropped to a whisper, "I plan to make you cum."

Nick thought he spotted a blush blossom in Jack's ears as he let himself out of the car. The confounded fox just sat there, breathing hard, watching the departing bunny with a hungry intensity until his small form slipped beyond his vision.

The cab driver, a middle aged female marmot turned around so she was facing him through the gap in the seats.

"Hey, aren't you going with him?"

Nick dragged his claws through the fur around his neck, whining in frustration and indecision.

"Please stop talking and just drive."

The marmot did as she was told but Nick heard her scoff from the front seat, "Fine, dipshit."

Nick lay out across the back seats and stared at the stained foam ceiling of the cab.

 _"Damn it..."_

* * *

Wednesday and Thursday went much the same.

Jack and Nick had entered into a kind of, unspoken, sexually charged standoff. The previously decided upon 'rules' were now a free-for-all; constantly bent to the utmost without being outright broken. Nick's resolve not to sleep with Jack again was slipping beyond recovery and he realized that soon he would need to talk seriously with him about what was going on, he needed to talk to him about Judy as well. Because, in all honesty, the question of whether they might end up together one of these nights was shifting rapidly away from 'if' to 'when'.

Every hour he was discovering the places and ways to stir the rabbit's arousal. The opposite was also true of Jack. They were circling each other, pushing and pulling, testing and touching; so, that by last-call, they had inevitably worked each other into a minor frenzy.

Heading home in separate cabs they barely waited until their doors closed behind them, before immediately having to attend to themselves in order to sate their frustration.

Late that Thursday, in the thirty seconds it took him to climax, eyes closed, Nick replayed again what memories he had from his first night with Jack. He indulged himself reasoning that this new fixation was partly an effect of the hustle (of their forced intimacy) and that his sexual fantasies would return to their regular scheduled programming once all this was over. The discerning fox in him though, sensed a change, and had some very serious doubts.

* * *

It was Friday, when they finally got a break.

That night had progressed like the four previous. The club was just beginning to reach its max capacity when Jack and Nick were interrupted from their usual revelry by a muscular she-wolf wearing a small shoulder mounted radio and a tight black dress shirt. She indicated for them to follow her.

After sharing knowing glances and a few previously agreed upon signals, the two readied themselves before following.

The wolf led them through the club to a locked door behind the bar and up a short flight of stairs. They found themselves in a wide, dimly lit room. In its center was a huge 'C' shaped couch made for large mammals; each cushion about the dimensions of a king-sized bed to the smaller pair.

Sitting at the far side of the open circle was a couple of enormous polar bears. The larger of the two wore an expensive grey suit, while the other was shirtless and had wide round glasses perched on the end of his nose.

Walking towards them, Nick adjusted his face to look pleasantly surprised, while Jack, fully into the persona of Max, was clinging possessively to his side.

"Well, if it isn't Andre and Pavel. It's been a very long time. Babe," he looked down at Jack, "these two are a couple of my old friends - Pasha and Andy. Guys, this is my fiancé Max."

The two bears gave each other an unreadable look. Pasha pulled his glasses up closer to his face, "Nicholas, it _has_ been very long time. Please sit, have a drink with us." The bear waved a lazy paw and a very buff leopard, wearing nothing but a thong, appeared from the shadowy far-reaches of the room carrying a tray which held glasses and a bottle of what looked like vodka.

Nick smiled apologetically as the leopard began setting out drinks. "I'll have to pass unfortunately. Just a few nights ago we almost got kicked out of this very club because we went a _little_ overboard. As much as it pains me, I've got to limit myself."

Jack jumped in as soon as Nick uttered his last syllable, maintaining a slight note of hesitation in his voice. "Well I _will_ have a drink. Make it a double if Nicky is going to be a stick in the mud. We're supposed to be having fun after all." Jack finished his speech with a slight pout.

The well dressed polar bear, Andre, grumbled in his throat in what must have been a laugh. "You always were soft Nicholas. See, even this little one is having more balls then you."

Jack grinned and ran his paw down Nick's shirt. "Oh believe me, he's got balls. Why just last night-"

Nick cut him off with a playful bop on the nose. "Hush you. Remember our talk about too much information? Now Pasha, Andy, as happy as it makes me to see you again I feel like I should ask - to what do we owe the pleasure of this kind invitation?"

Pasha spoke again, seeming the more eloquent of the two, "We were wanting to ask you the same Nicholas. You have been coming here for five days. We know you are with the ZPD. We have no illegal business here, but that does not mean we like having turncoats hanging around. In short - what is it _you_ want?"

Nick demonstrated his most misunderstood grimace, "Guys, sure I'm a cop. It's no secret, but believe me when I say that for once I'm just looking for a good time. Max and I are on vacation. This place is one of the few (not to mention the best) clubs in town where a couple like us can have some fun. We've been to a bunch of places, and let's just say, the reception has never been all too friendly."

Pasha emitted a low rumble as he mulled this over, "Maybe what you say is true. Maybe not. I must ask - since when are you finding males attractive? And rabbits? When we knew you, it seemed a vixen was always hanging from your arm."

Nick just shrugged, wearing a face that said, _'what do you want from me?'_ , "And in all that time did I ever look like I was serious about any of them? What was the longest I ever dated? Truth was, they knew something was wrong, I couldn't hide it forever. I knew I could never have what I really wanted, so instead I kept up appearances - especially after what happened to you guys."

"We don't doubt how you feel about your rabbit Nicholas-"

"His name's Max."

"Very well, Max. We have been watching you. You cannot fake this kind of feeling you have. And believe us, we are sympathising with what it must have took for you to get here. We are even proud of you, aren't we Andryusha?"

The well-dressed bear gave a slight nod as he took another sip of his drink. "You see? Unfortunately, we remember many things about you Nicholas. You were always sneaky, always looking for the next mark. We can't trust you, so here is what we must do. You have your drink. We will say goodbye, and after tonight, we will not be seeing you here again."

Nick was about to counter but Jack spoke first. "What if…" the rabbit slowed his speech and assumed a mischievous grin, "what if I could prove that we're not here for any reason other than to have a little fun?"

The bears again exchanged a look, "How do you plan to do this?"

Jack's grin widened, "Does one of you have a phone on you?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, you might want to record this next bit."

Jack began running his paws over the crotch of Nick's pants. Nick immediately started to protest but Jack interjected, "Hush now Nicky. Hands on the couch."

Nick blankly complied as the framework of what Jack must be planning flitted through his mind.

 _"This is not a plan. This is beyond stupid and it won't work… it-"_

Any further thoughts on the matter were interrupted by the feeling of Jack's fingers popping the top button on his pants, and in one motion, pulling down the zipper while freeing his sheath from his boxers.

Eagerly the rabbit began to use his mouth to tease the tip of his penis which was just peaking out. Across from them Nick heard Pavel laugh, "I can see why you like this rabbit. He is hungry for you!"

Nick saw Andre silence his partner with a wave. Holding his phone up he gave him a wide-eyed look that implicitly said, _'shut up - enjoy the show'_.

Nick's concentration on their present situation lapsed for a moment as his erection made an appearance, and Jack went to work on him in earnest. Using his hands, the bunny held down the sides of nicks opened jeans as he licked him, running his tongue from the base of Nicks shaft to the tip of his cock. There he stopped, dropping a few inches of his length into his waiting mouth, bobbing his head slowly until he was half-way down. Then, pressing with his lips along the engorged underside, he sucked his way back to the tip before beginning again.

Jack's plan was obvious by now; give the bears a show and get them worked up enough that they might drop their guard. It wouldn't work; wouldn't get them killed… probably. Still, that didn't mean Andre's little video wouldn't end up being used as blackmail later on. One thing was clear though; there was no going back now.

With this in mind, Nick endeavored to give them one hell of a performance. Trying to walk the line between honest lustful emoting, and pure ham-handed pornography, he called out for Max and moaned into his caress. Fluttering his eyelids Nick allowed his breathing to go ragged as he thrust his hips lightly.

Not all of this was an act.

Before long Nick felt the first approaching sensations of an orgasm. Knowing it was too soon, he pulled Jack off his member with a lewd 'pop', drew his face towards him, and began to kiss him passionately. As he did this, he caught a glimpse of the two bears. To his great surprise it appeared that their performance was actually working. The two had freed their massive dicks and were mutually masturbating as they watched. Andre seemed to have all but forgotten about recording and the phone lay beside him; face down on the faux leather couch.

Nick couldn't believe it. Nevertheless, this wasn't going to be enough, they needed to ramp things up if this had any chance of success.

Nick pushed Jack back down against the cushions as he kicked off his pants. Facing towards Jacks feet he got on to all fours above him and ordered, "Open up"

Jack eagerly complied as Nick slipped himself back into his waiting mouth. Now however, he was in control of the tempo.

First, Nick plunged down the rabbit's throat until he was bracing his knot against Jack's bottom lip. He remained there for several seconds, pulsing slightly. Although it would have been visually appealing, it didn't seem that Jack's mouth was going to be big enough to accommodate an enlarging knot. He was also worried about the damage a pair of very sharp buck teeth might do in such a situation. So, slowly he withdrew, pulling free and allowing jack to hungrily lick and tug at him before he placed the tip of his penis back to the rabbit's lips and dove into him once again.

This time, Nick continued to thrust, slow at first, but with increasing speed. His knot meeting Jack's lips with each thrust as his balls tapped against the top of his short muzzle.

Taking a second look at the bears across from him Nick was surprised to see that at some point they had gone from stroking each other to full on fucking. Andre had Pavel bent over the side of the couch as he pounded him in the ass.

Nick cringed inwardly. These two bears, once deadly muscle-bound mobsters had gotten older, and flabbier; suffice it to say that the scene before him was not pretty. Still, the _'impossible to unsee'_ ass-pounding aside, Nick couldn't help but berate himself. He had gotten carried away and almost missed their opportunity.

Regretfully, he pulled himself out of Jack's mouth and pointed to the other side of the couch. Jack instantly saw what Nick was getting at, his face becoming serious.

Wasting no time the rabbit slipped silently to the floor, before crawling under the wooden coffee table situated between him and the polar bears, neither of whom was paying any attention to them at that moment.

Nick continued to make pretend cries of pleasure to cover the fact that Jack was making a play for the phone which was currently bouncing around as Andre continued to mercilessly plow his husband.

Just as Jack was coming out on the far side of the table, Nick saw the phone flip fully off the couch. Attempting to warn him, Nick screamed out "oh-yes-Max!" in an orgasmic imitation as he gestured wildly at the falling object.

Jack slid forward, reacting only just in time, catching the phone as it was about to smash on the hardwood floor.

In the same beat, the rabbit went to work with the efficiency of a surgeon. In seconds he had the backing off the phone and he was replacing a chip of some kind with one he had been keeping hidden in the collar of his shirt.

Nick continued to fake an orgasm, while in truth, his length had already retreated fully. His stomach was twisting into knots. All the bears would have to do is look behind them for an instant and it was over. Nick was counting seconds in his mind as jack worked furiously, initiating some kind of program on the phone. Andre suddenly let out a great roar as the slapping noises he was making became decidedly sloppier.

Seconds later, Jack had the phone delicately positioned back on the couch. Then, scrambling silently on all fours, he squirmed back under the table and boosted himself up into Nick's waiting arms.

Andre slumped back with a great _'wumph'_ , making a rumbling sigh of satisfaction low in his throat. Pavel slid down next to him, still hard, but looking content.

Nick, still sans pants, shot a knowing grin at them. "Now that was fun."

Andre laughed, "You and your little love remind me of us when we were younger. Passionate! Not caring who saw us or what others thought. It gets the blood pumping, yes?"

Nick pulled Jack in closer and began lazily running a paw along his ears. "So, does this mean we're ok to come to the club whenever we like?"

The polar bears exchanged a momentary glance before Pavel spoke, "Yes and No. You can have fun for the rest of the night. For now, me and Andryusha will be heading home to get cleaned up I think. After you leave though, you will not simply show up at our door again. Take my card. Call me and we will consider inviting you to attend. That is, I am afraid, the best you will get."

Nick pretended to protest this decision only to artfully act as if changing his mind. "That's generous of you. We appreciate your consideration. That being said, I think if this is going to be our last night here for a while we should make the most of it."

Jack pressed himself further into Nick, "Mmm, well, _I'm_ having a great time so far."

Nick smiled, untangled himself from Jack and jumped down from the couch. He then helped the rabbit down by holding him around the waist and depositing him on his feet.

"What a gentlemammal."

"For you love, always."

Something in what he said caused a dark twinge of emotion to flit across Jack's face. Nick saw him cover it up almost as soon as it appeared.  
 _  
"What was that?"_

Nick shook the thought from his mind, refocusing, pointed at the vodka bottle sitting on the table. "Mind if we take this with us?"

Andre waved his paw magnanimously, still wrapped in the afterglow of his recent orgasm. "Be our guest Nicholas. Max, it was good meeting you."

Jack smiled and waved as Nick ushered him towards the door. Just as they were about to leave, Pavel spoke from where he sat slumped. "And Nicholas, if you are ever in need of money, should you be willing to put on a private show for us and a few friends, we would pay extremely well. I would like very much to know if your rabbit is able to take **_all_** of you."

The old Nick might have considered it, but as he was now, he knew that it was never going to happen. Nonetheless, he faked a smile and waved.

"We'll keep that in mind. Night guys."

Then they were out, alone, standing on the narrow stairs leading back to the bar. Somehow the hustle had worked; they'd done it.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief, he felt a bit nauseous and light headed. His hand started to tremble slightly causing Jack to look up at him in concern. He spoke quietly under the ruckus noise of the nightclub. "You alright?"

Nick glared at him. He wanted him to know he wasn't all-too impressed. "It always happens, don't worry. Later we are going to have words about that stunt you pulled; but not now. Now, we need to drink this vodka." Nick shook the enormous bottle, betraying the hint of a smile.

Jack just smiled back.


	5. Chapter 5

The bottle of vodka gifted to them by Pavel and Andy ended up remaining mostly untouched.

Nick and Jack were struck by a strange feeling of melancholy as the adrenalin high of the hustle began to wane. Both wanted nothing more than to leave the club now that their job was done. Unfortunately, it had been made clear that they were being watched. So, they drank a little and ended up sitting at a table near the edge of the main hall. Nick didn't have it in him to dance anymore, while Jack seemed quite content just to lean up against him as he sipped his drink.

Even knowing that eyes might be on them, the two managed to slip away sometime before one in the morning.

In the cab, Jack tapped away at his phone furiously for the first half of the ride as they both sat in silence. Eventually, he put the device in his pocket and let out a sigh of relief. "We got it. A friend of mine is digging into their data as we speak. It might take a few weeks to get everything we need, but we're in." Jack sounded triumphant. Nick on the other hand, said nothing, and continued to stare out the window.

Jack's good feelings began to fade and were replaced with a knot of worry as, for the first time, he noticed the foxes unusual mood. "Nicholas, you seem… upset."

Nick turned his face enough that, it was immediately apparent he wasn't just upset - he was furious. "Upset? Why would I possibly be upset? You got what you needed right?" He said the last with a snap of his jaw.

Jack tried to formulate a response but his inner monolog just kept sputtering.

"You broke the rules Jack, several times. Contrary to your claim that you don't like to lie – you lied to me."

"Nick I-"

"You said you were going to follow my lead. You said that we weren't going to put ourselves in serious danger."

"W-we… they were going to kick us out. They were shutting you down. I had to do something."

"I've talked my way out of worse binds then that. You didn't trust to do it, and instead went ahead with possibly the stupidest plan ever conceived."

"Well it worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and now I have a video of some mysterious rabbit blowing me at a night club. Not to mention the fact that, if those two had noticed you tampering with their phone (which by all rights they should have) we might be two blood stains on the carpet right now. Or, here's a thought, they could have simply called the police, because someone was actively trying to steal from them. We came a nails width tonight from either loosing our jobs, going to prison, or ending up as worm feed. Was their _precious_ information really worth dying for?" Nick's voice was becoming more heated as he spoke.

Jack's ears had fallen to his back. He felt confused and totally off balance, trying to find an excuse that didn't quite exist.

"Stopping the sale of military grade weapons, quite frankly, might save many lives, so yes, maybe it _was_ worth dying for."

"That's fine for you Jack, but I don't know if I feel the same way. Nevertheless, you decided for me, didn't you."

"It might have been my last chance. My last chance to find out who caused this. Marco… and my leg. I needed, I… I had to try! And you, you went along with it. You _chose_ to tell me about the phone. If you thought it was too dangerous why didn't you just keep fucking my mouth and let the moment pass!"

"Because _I_ said I was in! I keep my promises, unlike some mammals. Believe it or not I wanted to help you. And you're right, we won. We did it, congratulations to us. Just don't expect me to go along with something like this again."

The quiet that reigned in the cab was deafening. Several moments past where Jack said nothing. Preparing to vent his anger again, Nick turned so he could see what the rabbit was doing and was confronted with something he wasn't prepared for.

Jack's face was a hard mask; his nose twitched, arms drawn inward, fists clenched. Nick might have thought he was in pain if not for the slight vibration of his lower lip. Then, he heard a few tiny 'plicks' as two small tears rolled down his face and dropped to the surface of the vinyl seats.

With a slight gasp, Jack spoke, his voice cracking, "You sound like him sometimes you k-know. And, yeah, y-you're right. I was selfish and I'm sorry Nick. I just needed this. I needed to win… because apart from getting justice for what happened… I've got nothing. I've got n-nothing else."

 _"Shit…"_

Sad bunny eyes… adorable twitching nose, heartbreaking tears. Where had Nick seen this before? Oh right, Judy under the bridge. Did it get to him? Yes, it did. How were these rabbits somehow able to crack his callus exterior and embed themselves into the rarely seen sugary mush that were his inner depths?

Something happened then - the same thing in fact that had happened with Judy when Chief Bogo had tried to take her badge. Nick felt something real. He felt protective, and then he felt sympathy, then guilt and shame, followed finally by empathy, which was in itself a kind of love; and maybe that was the real key to Nicholas Wilde's heart. In that moment, revealing himself, Jack pierced the fox's emotional walls - he finally got to him.

Feeling a great mix of things, Nick went with his instincts. Reaching out he slid Jack across the seat into an embrace. The rabbit latched on and held tight. He didn't sob into Nick's shirt like some might have done. Instead, he trembled, fighting hard to contain himself, occasionally gasping or sniffing as Nick rubbed at his back.

"You bunnies… okay, Stripes, it's okay. I didn't mean all that. I'm sorry and… I forgive you. I know you're doing the best you can."

Jack just nodded his head against Nick's chest.

Nick lowered his muzzle and without planning to, planted a kiss on the top of his head; it felt natural. Speaking in almost a whisper, his nose pressed between Jack's ears, he said, "Don't go thinking you have nothing. Believe it or not, you've got me, as a friend. Maybe more than that... "

Jack let out a deep shuttering breath, pulled back and looked Nick in the eyes. Something had changed in the way they looked at each other. Past the lingering sadness stirred up by their argument, there was a warmth that hadn't existed before.

A cough from the taxi driver alerted both of them to the fact that they had arrived at Jack's apartment.

Jack started to say something but Nick interrupted, "Mind if I come inside for a while?"

The look on Jack's face was a mix of shock and flustered elation. "Yeah… yes, absolutely! That- I'd really like that."

Nick just nodded with a half smile and motioned for Jack to lead the way.

Inside the apartment, the wide space was as spectacular as ever. The fox and rabbit had made their way as far as the kitchen counter before they stopped, not knowing exactly what they were doing or where they were going.

Nick spoke first, "Do you have anything we can use to remove the dye from your fur?"

Jack flicked a paw towards the bathroom, still sounding a bit shaky, "It's a gel. You rub it in and then wash it out."

Nick nodded, "Okay then. Get undressed, we'll get the dye off you and then I think we could both use a shower."

Jack sniffed while looking coy, "Mr. Wilde, suddenly so assertive. Tell me, is getting clean the only thing you plan to do in the shower tonight?"

"That, and I need to talk to you about something important." Nick said this with enough seriousness that Jack changed mental gears and nodded soberly. Taking a deep breath the rabbit tried to dispel a small but growing seed of trepidation as he made his way upstairs.

Minutes later they found themselves both standing naked in a darkly tiled bathroom. The shower itself was massive; a square enclosure made of glass. The flooring was some sort of soft rubber composite. High above them hovered a huge stainless steel array that acted like a sort of multifaceted sprinkler. The effect was a shower that could go from a soft rain all the way up to a torrential downpour over an area that could have comfortably hosted twenty mammals all bathing simultaneously.

Nick commented after examining it with wide eyes, "This is a bit extravagant don't you think?"

To which Jack replied, "It's made for larger mammals. Marco and I spent a _lot_ of time in our old shower. You might even say it was our favorite place to be. Plus, being able to fall down on a soft floor is kind of nice when you're trying to get by with only one leg."

Still looking around, Nick inquired, "Fair enough. How… uh, how do you turn it on."

"Hold on."

It took a minute but after tearing away at a few Velcro straps and hitting a release mechanism Jack's prosthetic came off into his hand. He held it out towards Nick, "Mind putting this by the door for me?"

Nick complied and returned moments later only for Jack to announce in an assertive voice, "Shower setting 3, begin."

Instantly a light rainfall of warm water sprang from overhead, causing Nick to snort in surprise, only to laugh after a second.

"Fan-cy, I should have known. This high-tech stuff makes you a bit of a walking 'spy' stereotype, you know that?"

"I like to think of myself as a 'hobbling' spy stereotype actually."

"Quite witty as well… alright, I think we are wet enough. Let me guess," Nick raised his voice, "Shower complete!" nothing happened, "End shower!" again nothing, "Shower off?" This time the water ceased, leaving the room quiet but steamy.

Nick grinned to himself as he pulled on two latex gloves and grabbed the bottle of dye remover. He also spotted a plastic chair that was sitting in the corner of the room. He lifted it over and placed it next to Jack.

"Alright stripes, one hand on the chair for balance and the other up in the air where I can see it."

Squeezing out a large dollop of the gel into his hand, Nick smeared it around in his palm before going to work, rubbing the acrid smelling paste into Jacks fur. He started by grabbing him around the waist and awkwardly doing the base of his foot. After that it was considerably easier as he worked up his leg. Nick pointedly and consciously wasn't taking a good look at Jack's body. He didn't want to become _distracted_ , and he still needed to talk to him with a clear head.

Nick ran his hands over Jack's butt, his tail, up his abs, and across his back. He went all the way to the tips of his ears maintaining a professional concentration throughout. The only place he left was between the rabbit's legs and in due course, he had covered everywhere else, so, clearing his throat,

"If you could hold yourself for a moment I'll get the last bit of your fur… don't want to get this stuff on any sensitive skin."

Looking down Nick was unsurprised to see that Jack was already semi-erect. "Oh, well, never mind then."

Glad that his red fur was hiding a blush, Nick massaged the space between Jacks legs, under his tail and around a set of nicely formed orbs.

Jack turned his head and coughed, which won an amused smile from Nick. At the same time, the attention was causing Jack to transition from semi-hard to full attention. Nick was feeling very curious to examine the effect he was having more closely, but resisted the urge and continued to pointedly ignore it for the time being.

With every inch of Jack's fur having been covered with gel, Nick stepped back and stripped off his gloves. "Ok, now we wait for ten minutes as this stuff sets in."

After a moment, where the mood became tense, Jack looked at him, the contact lenses he had been wearing were now gone, so once again his eyes were a piercing, almost luminescent blue.

"You said you wanted to talk to me about something."

Nick nodded, the nervousness he was feeling bubbling to the surface. "I do. Look, Jack… I don't really know how to tell you about this so I'm just going to say it. You know Officer Judy Hopps?"

"I do."

"Well… I'm in love with her."

"Yes, I know."

Nick's features went slack in surprise, "You do?!"

"I had the pleasure of chatting with the ZPD receptionist. In the three minutes we spoke, he gave me what I think is a fairly detailed account of your troubled love affair."

Nick whipped his tail back and forth as he started to pace, "Seriously! That flabby gossip queen - oh, he'll pay." Nick blew out a sigh of frustration, "Although, I guess that makes this easier at least. I think you must see my predicament. I don't know what Claws told you exactly, but let's just say I've been suffering lately. I cover it up pretty well, but there have been days I could barely get myself out of bed. To top it all off, she's been giving me mixed messages, even after she expressed in no-uncertain-terms that we, could never, would never, be together."

Jack's expression hadn't changed, looking open yet unworried - certainly not angry. "I'm not seeing the problem yet, unless you feel that not enough time has past since she hurt you."

"She didn't hurt me." Nick said it a bit too forcefully to be convincing, "Or, at least she didn't mean to. I was so certain of the way she felt… in the end, I was only seeing what I wanted to. I assumed too much, and got hurt in the process. I don't really know if enough time has past."

Nick suddenly remembered that the gel was probably done setting. He called for the shower to turn itself back on.

Water running over his body Jack raised his voice over the sounds of the shower, "You still haven't told me the real problem Nicky, although, I think I might be able to guess."

Nick's ears drooped and he shook his head, "No Jack, the problem is… I still love her. More then anything or any-mammal, I truly do. If you and I become something more – and someday she suddenly has a change of heart… How is this going to work when I feel this way about somebody else? It's **so** shitty Jack, it's so unfair to you-"

Jack raised the hand he wasn't using to brace himself and silenced Nick. "What are the chances that she will ever change her mind?"

"I don't know, basically zero."

"Nick, as impossible as I know it is, if my husband, if Marco suddenly came back from the dead and walked through that door, what do you think would happen."

"I'd get mauled to death by a tiger."

Jack barked out a laugh, "Yes, well, _that_ , and, regardless of what we might be to each other at the time, I would leave you for him. It sounds cruel, but I would do it in a heartbeat. How do you think you would feel about that?"

Nick theorized for a second, trying to truly consider the question. "I would be upset, but I'd get it. I wouldn't hate you."

"I feel like we are the same in a lot of ways. And if Judy Hopps ever wakes up and sees the fox in front of her for what he is, beautiful, kind, considerate, brilliant… then I guess I might lose you. That doesn't mean I still don't want this, even if it's only for a little while. If losing my love and my leg taught me anything, it's that if there is even a chance for a little bit of happiness in this life, you've got to grab ahold of it, because each of us will lose everything good that we'll ever have… it's _all_ only for _just_ a little while. So, that's my answer. I still want you, and I don't care that we might both be broken or how it might end. What matters to me is now."

"Anyone ever tell you, you give quite the stirring speech? You know, I don't think I've ever been called _beautiful_ before… handsome perhaps."

"I stand by what I said."

Nick scoffed but couldn't stop a wholehearted smile that split his face from ear-to-ear. He stepped up to Jack and ran his fingers through his short fur, which was so recently black, and now rapidly returning to a light grey.

Working his paws over Jack's body Nick brushed away the last remnants of the fur coloring. When he finished, he looked Jack in the eyes; searching for doubt. After a moment where they stared into each other, Nick leaned forward so that their noses touched, "Okay."

He didn't need to say anything more as Jack wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into a gentle kiss.

Never breaking contact with Jacks lips, Nick lifted him up and, with some difficulty (Jack was heavier then he looked) he maneuvered them out of the shower and into the huge fur dryer that was mounted against the one wall.

Leaning with his back to the tile, Nick activated the dryer and returned his full attention to kissing the rabbit in his arms.

Time seemed to dissolve then, because he didn't remember exactly when the dryers had finished their work, or carrying Jack out of the washroom and laying him onto his bed, but when coherent memory returned, they were kissing, laying naked on soft blankets.

After what might have been minutes, Nick finally worked up the willpower to pull away from the kiss. "You've been doing a lot for me these last few days, how about you let me return the favor. Can't say I've had much practice, but I'm sure I can figure it out."

Jack smiled but shook his head emphatically, "Not happening Mr. Wilde. I can teach you everything you need to know in due time. Tonight, I want to spoil you a bit. I still feel like I owe you for what happened at the club. Also, I made a promise as to what I would do should I ever catch you here alone, and I plan to keep it."

Nick could have protested, but instead grinned smugly and put his arms behind his head, "Far be it for me to turn down such a generous offer."

Jack's eyes drooped slightly, gazing down at Nick with lustful intent. "Just relax. I want to show you something."


	6. Chapter 6

**WARNING this chapter is a giant lemon. If you are not into explicit, homoerotic, anthropomorphic porn, turn back now!**

Jack ran his paws through the soft cream colored fur of Nicks chest. Moving with exquisite slowness, he massaged and scratched his way downwards along the length of his body. From time to time he would lean forward and place his mouth against the fox's exposed exterior, trailing kisses or biting gently.

Inevitably this led the amorous rabbit to the space between Nick's legs. With one hand Jack began to stroke and cup him. The fox's semi-exposed arousal twitched, becoming further erect as it pushed itself entirely out of its sheath. Eagerly, Jack drew the velvety member into his mouth. Advancing with agonizing slowness he bobbed his way down until Nick's entire length was occupying his throat; his head tilted back as he sucked and licked at the knotted base.

Watching, spellbound both by the sensation and the spectacle, Nick couldn't believe that the rabbit could swallow the entire thing. He was pretty, 'well equipped' even by fox standards; a little consolation prize sent by fate for all the shit he had had to endure throughout his life.

Finding a better vantage, Nick raised his head from the bed and rested on his elbows. He wanted to experience this to the fullest, because in his almost two decades of adulthood this was hands down the best blowjob he'd ever received. There was no doubt in his mind that if Jack kept up what he was doing, he was going to finish in record time. He didn't think he would be able to stop himself. This damn bunny just seemed to possess some kind of devious oral magic.

Up to this point Nick had been trying hard not to moan, something Jack wasn't making at all easy. Enthralled, Nick saw that Jack's face was a mask of pure bliss. His eyes so heavily lidded they were almost closed. Nick couldn't fathom how someone could enjoy sucking cock this much; not that he was complaining.

Only moments later, Jack began to pick up speed, his head nodding, making lewd sucking sounds. The fox began to feel the first building tingles of an orgasm; his knot expanding fully just as Jack suddenly pulled back, releasing his entire length from his throat, letting it slap forward onto his chest with a meaty plop.

Nick, who had been preparing to cum, gasped and trembled as the urge began to fade. "W-why'd you stop. I was close."

"I want to edge you a bit. We're just getting started after all, and I don't want you to go off too soon." Jack wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand while giving Nick a wink.

Without further ado, he went back to work, and this time he began to lick and suckle on Nick's balls; one hand massaging his knot as the other gently stroked his length. Nick gasped involuntarily as Jack drew his furry testes, one after the other, in and out of his mouth; giving one a light suck before moving back to the other. Predators generally had far too many sharp teeth to do anything like this, so it was something he had never experienced; it felt fucking amazing.

"Oh shit. Jack. Oh, oh…" Nick caught himself, feeling inwardly embarrassed when he realized what he'd been saying. Still, he knew that he would most certainly cum if the rabbit kept doing what he was doing.

Jack continued, putting ever greater suction into each mouthful. Just then, Nick was about to burst, his knot growing so turgid it seemed to thrum. Jack pulled back again causing Nick to whine in desperate need as precum dribbled over his chest. The fox was about to go ahead and finish himself before Jack stopped him with a paw.

"We haven't even got to the good part. Don't ruin it for yourself Nicky."

"Stripes, I'm so fucking close."

"Just take a breather. Trust me."

Nick wanted to complain but sighed, let his elbows give out, and flopped onto his back. Regardless of how bad he needed release, what Jack was doing felt amazing and he certainly wasn't about to ask him to stop.

A series of calming breaths later (where Nick's dick twitched and dribbled libidinously) Jack went back to licking and stroking him. This time however, he moved his focus slowly downwards stopping at his taint, and after a few moments of oral attention, he moved even lower, causing Nick to yip in surprise as he felt Jack begin to run his tongue over his anus. It was both startling and unexpected. At the same time, it felt to Nick like he'd been hit with an electric shock; each motion of the rabbit's tongue sending a bolt of pure pleasure straight to his cock.

"Ah- oh! Gonna cum!"

"No your not." Jack backed off again removing his hand from Nick's shaft leaving it pulsing against his slickened belly fur. Nick was breathing heavy now. He felt a bit like he was high on something. It was an effect he'd never experienced, probably because he'd never stood so long atop the very precipice of an orgasm.

While Nick was reeling, Jack went back to work on his tailhole, this time using his hands to spread nick's cheeks; tenderly exploring. Nick was past all pretense that he wasn't enjoying this and found himself crying out, moaning and yipping in an ever-higher register. He was sure he would need only touch himself for a moment to tumble over the edge.

Feeling drunk from these new sensations, Nick finally gave up on holding back his need to vocalize. A low whine escaped his throat and fluctuated in time with Jacks ministrations.

Sensing Nicks imminent fall, Jack pulled back once again and moved up along the bed to kneel face to face with the panting fox. Eyes drooping, Nick took in the rabbit's muscular, slightly feminine body. It was strange that he had never felt overly attracted to a male before, for looking at Jack, he found he loved what he saw. It was different, but he wanted to reach out and touch him; he _wanted_ him.

Nick also noticed Jack was fully erect, a small trickle of precum had at some point dripped from his tip and landed on the bed, leaving a gossamer trail in its wake. Again, Nick thought he should be freaked out by the sight of another male's penis. He had to admit though, it was… good looking. Nowhere near as large as his own, but relative to Jack, it was sizable… the shape of it interested him.

Nick's muddled thoughts were cut off by Jack who leaned forward and tried to kiss him on the mouth. At first nick was drawn in, but hesitated, pulling away before their lips touched. "Uh, look, you were kind of just licking my, uh… I'm just not sure if we should, I mean-"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Okay, first off, grow up. Second, stop talking. And also, just for that," Jack rolled over and lay on his back as he held the base of his member up with a thumb, "you can come over here and sit down."

Nick looked between Jack and his erection. "Wait. You want me to put that," he lowered his voice, "i-in my ass?"

"I'm a bit out of practice and there is no way that I'm going to be able to accommodate someone your size - not tonight anyway. **I** , on the other hand, am small enough that it shouldn't be a problem, even for a beginner."

Jack reached out and tugged lightly on Nick's cock, guiding him over until he was leaning above him; balancing on his knees. Nick was trying to think of a way out of this, but really, he wanted to explore this thing that was going on between them… and this was part of it… and he really was desperate for release... and his lover was currently caressing his dick as the tip lay resting against his sternum.

Jack let go of Nick for a second and rubbed a comforting paw along the fox's inner thigh. "Trust me, anyone who enjoys getting licked down their as much as you seem to is probably going to enjoy this as well."

 _"Something about that logic is a bit wonky... welp, try everything right?"_

With a resolute gulp, Nick leaned back until the tip of Jack's penis was pushing against him. "Alright, but take it easy. I've never done this before."

"Don't worry about me. You're in charge Red. Go at your own pace."

Cautiously, Nick leaned back letting Jacks length slide inside him. All the tonguing had made his entrance slick enough that there wasn't much friction. A small amount of discomfort distracted him at first, but by the time his backside came to rest against Jack's pelvis, he felt a small quake of pleasure tremble deep inside him. The sensation was interesting; very different then if he was touching himself. The stimulation was coming from somewhere between his hips instead of from the usual erogenous zones. In fact, the pleasure he was feeling from Jack's soft paws stroking the sides of his cock was being eclipsed by a growing warmth. It was only after raising and lowering himself on Jack a few times that Nick released his first gasping moan. The intensity of the feeling was quickly rising to the point of orgasm; yet, Nick wasn't cumming.

A warmth suddenly blossomed inside him and Jack began to twitch, his breath hitching. Nick was confused at first, but then snickered, "Mr. Premature, did you cum already?"

Jack huffed as he spoke, taking a moment to respond. "Rabbits… we finish quick, and often. I've got lots more- j-just focus on what feels... good for you."

Grinning, Nick went back to moving his hips. The feeling of cum inside him was fascinating… if he was being honest with himself it was kind of hot. Regardless, it provided an effective lube, and before long he was starting into a steady rhythm.

As before, precum was dribbling out of him in a thin stream that was creating a small puddle in the center of Jack's chest. After a series of soft gyrations, Nick unconsciously began to increase the motion of his hips -the pleasure redoubling again as his world became unfocused, his head lulling back, jaw opening slightly, his tongue to slipping from his mouth. This movement continued to escalate for some time during which Nick had little control over his feverish desire; his body seeming to move of its own volition. He was only vaguely aware that his cock was now bobbing wildly, each motion sending it slapping back down as he pistoned against Jack; grinding the smaller mammal relentlessly into the mattress.

Jack had at some point removed his paws from Nick's canine member and was covering his face with his own long ears, trying to muffle his own moans of pleasure as he vaulted into his second or possibly third orgasm - Nick really had no idea. His entire being was overwhelmed by a rising sensation that never seemed to peak. A raging, tremulous torrent of euphoria was spreading throughout his core, moving along his limbs, up his back and down to the tip of his tail. Gasping he made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a shriek. His world went white and his heart thundered as he was struck by his first ever full-body orgasm. It arched his back and threw him forward, shaking him uncontrollably. One final time Nick hammered his hips down onto Jack before his muscles clenched down, splattering a lazy jet of spunk across the rabbit's chest and neck.

Almost immediately, Jack crunched forward, capturing the tip of Nick's throbbing cock in his mouth. He proceeded to suck and swallow, greedily milking as the continuous stream painted the back of his throat.

Nick didn't even notice, his face was turned towards the ceiling, pleasure washing over him in waves. Time had slipped away, it felt as if he had been shivering in ecstasy for an untold eternity.

Returned slowly to reality, the first thought that came to Nick's mind was simply, _"Holy… shit."_

Jack continued to suckle at his spent member, and still, Nick didn't yet have the wherewithal to stop him. He felt lightheaded and suffused with warmth; like the feeling of soaking too long in a scalding hot tub. Little vibrations - aftershocks, echoed through him and a minute later Nick leaned forward and let Jack slide out as he slumped to the side; leaving him with a strange, empty feeling.

He was so dazed that his first coherent observation was that Jack had at some point rolled over until he was laying against his side. After another long moment wherein Nick struggled his way back to speaking-level intelligence, Jack leaned forward and planted a chaste, but emotionally charged kiss on the end of his muzzle.

It was strange, that after having sex, and everything else they had done together, this small gesture seemed in a way to be the most intimate contact they had ever had. Nick felt a flutter in his chest despite himself, a blush creeping into his ears.

He was lost as to what he should do next. Remain silent? Crack a joke? In the end, it was all too complicated, so he simply said, "I guess… we are officially a _thing_ now."

Jack watched him with his usual intense gaze, but at the same time seemed pleasantly relaxed, an easy half smile on his face, his body loose and uncovered, "What do you want us to be? Like I said Nick, I've already met the love of my life. No one will ever be able to replace him and I doubt I'll ever remarry. I really, really like you though, and I've missed this… being with someone, sharing intimacy - I've needed it, more then I was willing to admit. You are the first mammal I've wanted to be close to in two years. So, yes. If that's okay, I would like to be a _thing_ with you. I'm not going to push you though. More than anything, I want you to feel free. Like we talked about… if you find something better, you don't have to hesitate."

"You know I've never been attracted to a guy before and yet here I am, and I admit, I definitely find you attractive. It's different from what I normally like but… you've grown on me."

"I _did_ grow on you a bit there didn't I."

Nick smiled despite himself, "Hilarious. Look, so, I like you too, and that sex was… wow. I mean, I didn't know I could feel like that. So yeah, Jack, I think I would like to be a _thing_ with you, and by thing, I mean boyfriend… my boyfriend... Is boyfriend ok?"

The wide smile that came over Jack's face made him look like a different bunny, "Boyfriend is great… really great."

"Guess that makes me gay now, huh?"

Jack shook his head and quickly kissed him again on the lips before pulling back. "When I was younger I used to be worried about all these words: gay, straight, pansexual, cross, interspecies, preyophile, predophile. I locked myself in a box. I decided that if I like males that means I'm gay, and that means I don't like females. If I'm prey I like prey - if I'm a rabbit I like rabbits, blah, blah. Here is one way to see it. Think of one of your police lineups. In it, there are one-hundred mammals. Each and every one of them is someone you could have a fulfilling and intimate relationship with. For you, let's say that most of these mammals are female. A lot of them might be foxes, some rabbits, and who knows what else. Down at the end of the line there are a few males. Each is as attractive to you as the others, some just fall within narrower spectrums of what turns you on.  
Your sexuality is not an on-off switch. You can decide what you want for yourself, but if you're open, then you might discover things you weren't expecting. It's about individuals Nick. Who they are, and who _you_ are, and most importantly, who you are, and how you feel, together - I think that's what's important. It's still pretty early for you and I to know who we are when we're together, but I for one am looking forward to finding out."

Nick leaned forward, this time initiating the kiss. "Smart bunny."

The two lay together after that, and soon they were both drifting off.

Before sleep could claim him, Nick spoke again, "So, I've been thinking. If you are willing to play a little joke on one Ms. Judy Hopps, I have a feeling we could utterly annihilate her delicate country sensibilities while having a little fun. I don't want to be mean, but I feel like a little pay back is in order."

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes, "We just started dating and already you're trying to make your ex jealous?"

Nick just shook his head with a grin, "She's not my ex and I doubt I could make her jealous even if I wanted to, seeing as, in her own words, 'interspecies relationships can never really work, because they aren't _meant_ to.'"

Jack's eyes went a bit wide, "Wow, this partner of yours sounds like quite the catch. I can already tell that we are going to get along famously."

"Try not to judge her too harshly. Nobody's perfect, and she means well."

Jack just raised his eyebrows, "Sounds like she could benefit from being scandalized though. I'm guessing we will be needing some more black fur dye."

"You read my mind."

"Well, I'm in, but on one condition. You've got to help me get the dye back out of my fur every time we use it, and next time, don't leave me hanging while we wait."

"Nick's eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room. "Deal. Let's figure out the plan tomorrow though."

The bunny just nodded and rumbled an agreement as Nick reached out and pulled him further into an embrace. Jack made a soft, content hum and pressed his face into Nick's neck, running his fingers through the fur of his abdomen; breathing in his scent.

Nick's last thought that night came in the form of a rare realization - he felt happy, for the first time in what felt like a long while; he was happy.


	7. Chapter 7

Judy Hopps had to admit that what she was doing was bordering on obsessive. In fact, it was pretty crazy. She had come to terms with how she wasn't as well ' _put together_ ' these last few weeks as she had been a few months ago, but to hell with it. She was on a mission, and she supposed that her sometimes obsessive tendencies had gotten her out of Bunnyburrows and into the police academy; even helped her save the city.

Squatting behind a bush a short way into the park that was situated across from Coffee Junction, Binoculars in hand, she scanned the sidewalk again for her targets.

Why was she so adamant about finding Nicholas Wilde his perfect mate? She had been asking herself this question late into the night for weeks now. The answer was simple; because she owed him everything, and because she had hurt him, probably more than any other mammal in the world. Most of all, because she lied to him, and would continue to lie to him.

What was this terrible truth from which she hid her every waking moment? She knew it well - why, fear itself. And, in her case it was no ordinary fear. This fear was irrational, deep-seated, instinctual, ingrained and aggressive. She had tried to fight it, yet, it had proven insurmountable; among the few battles Judy Hopps had ever lost; her one ultimate concession. The fear was to her, like being buried alive would be to a claustrophobe - intolerable beyond even the greatest strength of will. So, over this one exception she had resigned herself.

She was attracted to predators, always had been. When she was old enough to try, she got close to a few, nearly intimate, only for her subconscious mind to rebel and overthrow her senses. It was a sad state, of that there was little doubt. Judy had even given it a name, calling it her, 'Goldilocks Syndrome'. Perpetually she orbited that which she most desired. Never getting too close for fear of destruction, and never drifting too far away for fear of the cold loneliness that she'd known most of her life; a loneliness that only compounded during her months of self-imposed exile back in the burrows – a fear of losing that which she'd come to love.

Resignation – she was resigned to the fact that she could never love Nick the way he deserved. She would marry her work and make the world a better place. She would be the best friend that ever lived.

The decision she finally made was that the least she could do was serve a penance. Nick Wilde deserved to be happy, to have a wonderful life. Judy was going to do whatever it took to make sure he had it, even knowing she couldn't be an intimate part of that life. She had sworn an oath to herself. The day she broke his heart for the second time. After seeing the pain she caused him, she swore that never, not ever, would she hurt him like that again. Even if it meant losing her job, or her reputation, or her life - even if it meant breaking the law; never again.

This magnificent clusterfuck of emotional scarring, crossed wires and mental anguish was ultimately what led her to this moment; hunker down, waiting to spy on her best friend and probably the love of her life.

By the time Judy spotted Daisy (the sandy blond vixen) arriving at the café, the rabbits calves were already starting to cramp. Judy chose this location for the park as well as the fact that the indoor seating was limited. That meant the date was probably going to have to be held outside which suited Judy just fine.

Moments after arriving, the pretty, petite fox was led to a table under a red awning. She sat, holding her tail to the side daintily. It was then that things started to go to shit.

From inside the shop a black-furred, male rabbit, dressed in a tailored baby-blue shirt and cream colored vest, walked up to the table. Daisy's expression was one of confusion for a moment as the two began to converse. Unexpectedly, Nick Wilde himself appeared moments later from inside the shop, holding a couple of coffees and a platter full of pastries. Seeing him caused Judy to nearly drop her binoculars in shock. The fox was dressed to impress.

Nick was decked out in a three-piece suit made of brown wool, wearing a bright purple tie with a matching pocket square. His tie clip might have been pure gold while his elegant wristwatch looked ridiculously expensive. The whole ensemble could have easily cost several grand, although Judy couldn't really be sure, seeing as her taste in clothing was fairly pedestrian to say the least.

Transfixed by him, the rabbit gawped, he was gorgeous (for lack of a better word) probably the sexiest mammal she had ever laid eyes on. And gods, she wanted him …

 _"Get a hold of yourself!"_

Judy had to look away for a moment, close her eyes and just breath. _"He isn't mine. He can never be mine."_

Exhaling as she put a lock on her emotions, Judy went back to her binoculars. Across the road, the three mammals seemed to be enjoying themselves. Daisy was looking far less nervous, Nick was smiling and laughing; at his most charming. The other bunny sat quietly, adding a comment here and there, seeming relaxed and care-free.

It again raised the question, who was this black-furred buck and what was he doing with Nick? He had no business butting in on this date which she had worked so hard to set up. Whoever he was, Judy was going to find out. Nick had better be ready for a serious interrogation on Monday.

Out of nowhere, Judy's whole world seemed to stop and tip sideways as, she watched in total shock and without warning, Nick leaning down to the mysterious rabbit and kissed him fully on the mouth. The kiss wasn't chaste either. It was returned with passion and it lasted for several long moments - included… an uncivilized amount of tongue, and left no room for doubt that Nick and this rabbit were in some way _involved_.

In contrast to Judy, Daisy seemed quite delighted. The movement of her mouth suggesting that she was saying something along the lines of, _"Wow! That's so cute!"_

Judy though … Judy was seeing red. It was taking all her self control not to charge across the street and utterly lose her marbles. For the first time in her life she was feeling a twisting, writhing anger burning in her gut. She took a few moments to put a name to the feeling, but when she did it only became worse: raw jealousy. The realization cooled her temper slightly. But that didn't change the fact that Nick was locking lips with some unknown, male! She had never seen a rabbit kiss any predator before, it was impossible as far as she knew. Perhaps it was a trick… or made possible by some new medication?

Judy's thoughts were spiralling out of control. _"Is he gay now? And a rabbit? A rabbit! How is that possible? Rabbit's can't… How can he… That slimy, no-good fox! How dare he- didn't he say he loved me? What happened to that!? How could he!"_

Judy had to shake herself. She was being irrational, teetering close to a meltdown, and she needed to distance herself from this before she did something she'd regret.

Quietly and carefully, Judy slipped out of the park and (because walking made her feel like she might explode) started to run. She sprinted several miles back to her apartment where she charged into her room and slammed the door. For the first time since she left the park she realized that tears were running down her face. She dabbed at them in confusion for a moment before a rage flared within her and she hurled her binoculars across the room. They shattered against the wall as she slid slowly down her door.

Laying against the floor, a shattered mess of conflicting emotions, in a hissing whisper Judy uttered three words.

"I'm so dumb."

* * *

Fear.

Attraction.

She loved predators and yet she feared them. Her mind had created a closed loop from which there was no escape.

She had tried to fight it on both fronts for years only to fail again and again. In this struggle lay her greatest shame. This irrational, unwelcome fear ruled her life, preventing her from having what she wanted.

Unfortunately in response to this, Judy had constructed a fantasy. ' _Prey and predator could never be truly intimate'_ the smooth, consoling reasoning had occurred to her in the late hours of the night. It wasn't that prey were cowards and predators were violent. It was just simple biology. Instinctually, there was a subconscious rejection of deeper intimacy. For that reason, a predator and prey mammal could never _truly_ be together; not really. In the microcosm of Bunnyburrows this theory had remained uncontested, even substantiated by several local rabbit doctors and therapists who consoled her to her face and shook their heads when she was gone.

In moving to Zootopia and witnessing first hand relationships between predator and prey, Judy had been forced to edit her views. Now, she decided, the instinctual-biological rejection was something that not all prey suffered from. For rabbits though, it was an inescapable fact. After all, when had she ever seen or heard of a rabbit in a relationship with a predator? Never. Had she ever gone to any great lengths to verify this belief beyond the circumstantial and narrow understanding one gets from living in a bunny dominated backwater? Definitely not. Why? Well, prehaps some deeper part of herself suspected the truth. All mammals it seems, even the great Judy Hopps, could somtimes be guilty to avoiding those things that might hurt them the most. In a way, she was a bit like Don Quixote himself, choosing to see the world in a way that protected her from the truth. Giving in to double-think without ever truly realizing it - until today.

Once she was calm enough, Judy sat down at her desk and opened her laptop. She immediately typed in the words, 'rabbit fox lovers sex relationship'. The query that came back changed her life. Within ten minutes of clicking through the hundreds of links that came up, Judy was sobbing hysterically, enough so that she could no longer even read the screen.

These tears were not a result of what she saw in front of her, but from the veil she had so willingly worn for so many years. The problem was in her, it had always been her. Not instinct or rabbit biology, not morals or religious doctrine; it was her - probably fixable too. And now she finally saw the cost of her ignorance. After all her self-congratulations on bettering herself and seeing past her prejudices, she looked down only to see that the foundation on which she had built so much of her recent life was nothing but mud.

She had been so wrong.

* * *

Judy didn't leave her apartment again that weekend. Hell, she barely managed to leave her bed. It wasn't until Sunday afternoon that she finally collected herself into a reasonably functional mammal.

After receiving a veggie pizza from a delivery mammal who actually asked if she was 'alright' after seeing the horrendous state she was in. Judy sat, ate and assessed - speaking aloud in order to better reorganize her so recently shattered self.

"Okay. So, I've been lying to myself without exactly meaning to for most of my life... because of this I have badly hurt and probably lost the mammal I love…"

Judy had to stop for a moment and fight once again for composure. She ground her teeth and sniffed. Swallowing, she shook herself - she could wallow in self pity until the end of time if she allowed it; it wasn't going to get her anywhere. She needed to move towards a goal. To do that, she had to figure out where she was, and what she wanted.

"Hard-truth time Judy – I knew Nick was attracted primarily to prey and deep down I also knew that he would never settle for some vixen. I fixated on setting him up with one because I knew it would never work. So, number one. From now on I will respect what he wants and I'm going to apologize first thing tomorrow. Thing number two; I have a problem. This fear is not a fact of life but an affliction. I _am_ going to overcome it and I'm going to find someone to help me. Three; once I've figured this out, I'm going to tell Nick everything. He deserves to know the truth, and if I've lost my chance to be with him... I'll live with it."

Throwing the crust of her recently devoured pizza slice in the box, Judy headed to the washroom. Surveying her tearstained, bedraggled fur, she couldn't help but smile a little. She looked herself in the eyes and decided then to make a promise, going so far as to put her hand over her heart as she'd done when swearing her oaths at the academy,

"I am going to do better. I can't change what I've done. But I swear to make the world a better place, starting with me."

For the first time in days Judy's eyes were dry and her mind was clear. She needed to get cleaned up, her uniform had to be pressed and she was lacking adequate rest, so an early night was in order. She knew that she would need it, because tomorrow she intended to begin dragging the skeletons out of her closet. She was going to face her demons.

* * *

The next day Judy all but marched into the bullpen. She had steeled herself and resolutely prepared for what was to come. Crawling up into her usual seat she checked her phone and found that she had arrived nearly thirty minutes early. It was then she noticed a small blinking envelope in the corner of her screen. Opening the message, she saw immediately it was from Nick:

Nick: Hey Carrots! Hope you had a great week. I missed you.  
Sorry for sending this message so late but something came up  
and now I'm taking the week off on holiday. I didn't expect  
buffalo-butt to give it to me, seeing as I called him pretty early this  
morning, but it since it's so slow around the station I think he decided  
to have mercy. Sometimes I think he might actually have a heart  
underneath that cranky muscle-bound exterior. Anyway, was thinking  
maybe this Friday we could have dinner at my place. There is  
someone I'd like you to meet. Don't ask who it is, that would  
just spoil the surprise ;)

Ps. Had a GREAT time with Jack. He really knows his stuff.  
You should give the training a shot, although there is no way you're  
going to top my performance last week, so don't even try.

Judy read the message twice, and then read it again. Something was odd about the whole thing. For one, Nick never wrote more then he had to. This was practically a novel compared to his usual texts, and seemed suspiciously well thought out. Second, he sounded… happy, even playful, which was something that she hadn't seen from him for over a month now. Then it hit her,

 _"It must be this new relationship."_

The realization stung. It was compounded by the fact that Nick had decided to take his vacation without giving her any warning. They had always taken time off together. Now he couldn't even be bothered to call her. A month and a half ago they had talked on the phone almost every night-

Judy had to interrupt this line of thinking as she felt herself sinking back into the gloom of her lovesick depression. Taking a moment, she tilted her face toward the ceiling and blinked a few gathering tears back into her eyes. With a deep breath, she was back on level ground. Although, she noted she needed to control her thoughts more, lest she burst into sobs at some random inopportune place or time.

Several minutes later, Judy had finished texting her response to Nick. Agreeing to meet up for dinner on Friday she lightly reprimanded him for being so distant these last few days. She chose not to mention how she had spied on his date, and therefore had a notion of who it was that she might be meeting. She would save that embarrassing revelation for a later date.

Just as Judy pressed the send button, Chief Bogo arrived with a call to attention.

"Sit!" The cape buffalo bellowed with a wave of his hoof. "Let's not waste time. It's business as usual again this week. Hopps, your partner decided to call me at home this morning to beg for time off. I was about to deny him until I realized that it meant I would get to spend another seven days without having to listen to his smart mouth. Unfortunately, that means you get to sit at front desk, go help out in records, or take on parking duty. Take your pick."

"Excuse me chief." A voice spoke from the still open doorway. The entire room collectively craned their necks to see, Jack Savage, standing with his hand up as if to ask a question. "Perhaps, seeing as officer Wilde will be gone for the week, I could have Miss Hopps for skill development training?"

The chief raised an eyebrow, looking not overly impressed at being interrupted. He shifted his gaze from one rabbit to the other, "Hopps?"

Judy quickly tried to construct a response, "Uh, yes sir. I think that would be preferable."

The buffalo huffed, "Fine, who cares. By the way Savage, what did you do to Officer Wilde that caused him to take a sudden week-long vacation?"

A smile spread across the rabbit's face that was as smug as anything even Nick had ever been able to muster. His voice almost betraying a hint of laughter. "My apologies sir, I fear I may have pushed him hard a few too many times. He seemed quite worn out by the end. Although, I'm confident that he felt the benefits of our time together."

The chief just looked at him funny for a long beat, his eyes squinting slightly.

"I need my officers back after you're done with them Savage. No more sudden vacation requests or we are going to have to revisit our agreement."

Without loosing his grin the rabbit saluted crisply, "Understood sir."

Bogo grunted again before giving the room his customary parting glare, "Dismissed!"

Once everyone had filtered out of the room, a few of whom sent Judy coy winks on their way out, Mr. Savage approached her from where he had been standing near the door. The rabbit's smile was nearly as wide as his face; his blue eyes sparkled, "Officer Hopps, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. After all the good things I've heard from Officer Wilde, I expect you'll be the one showing me a thing or two, and not the other way around."

Judy found herself somewhat awestruck. The buck before her really was just… incredibly handsome, and as much as she rarely felt anything for male rabbits, something about him caused her heart to flutter a little.

"H-Hoody Jopps… Hopps! Judy Hopps. It's, uh, amazing… too meet you."

The lithe rabbit, reached down and gently pried her hand from where she had is pressed against her abdomen, before giving it a gentle shake.

"Well, Ms. Hopps, I am flattered that you find meeting me to be _amazing_. I must admit though, I'm fairly ordinary once you get to know me."

Judy kind of doubted that, but just nodded her head while still holding his hand.

Jack disentangled their fingers before smiling again, "Well, the day isn't getting any longer so let's be on our way, shall we. You wouldn't believe the week that I've got planned."


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the delay all. I had family over for the holidays and it pushed my sanity to the limit. New chapters should be more frequent going forward._

* * *

Judy came to a sudden stop as she leaned over and vomited onto the dusty running track. It occurred to her at that moment, as handsome as he might be (for a rabbit), Jack Savage was a relentless, ball-busting prick.

"Just because you feel the need to vomit does not relieve you of the requirement to **keep running**!"

Jack was currently sitting in a chair in the center of the half-kilometer long circle that Judy had been intermittently spiraling for nearly the entire day. To his mouth, he was holding a megaphone through which he barked a seemingly endless stream of orders, backhanded compliments and bits of sketchy, 'sage' advice.

"The next time you feel the need to empty your stomach, don't stop. Your body is trying to convince you to do what **_it_** wants. If you have a goal that must be achieved you need to ignore that voice. Embarrassment and bodily functions are not an excuse for failure."

Judy spat several times and huffed in a barely contained rage. _What planet is this nut-job from anyway?_ She wiped at the tip of a limp ear which had been splattered by a bit of puke, before, nearly stumbling with exhaustion, she began again to jog around the dusty track.

Less than a minute later Jack shouted again over the obnoxious megaphone, "Alright, times up. Bring it in for the next bout."

Judy would have walked over to Jack with as much slowness as she could manage if not for the fact that she'd already tried that, and it had just led to more running.

The striped rabbit held out a water bottle which she snatched from his hand. Looking for any small form of revenge, she shook her whole body, ears flapping, in an attempt to dislodge as much sweat as possible. Jack was fairly showered with it, although to Judy's disappointment, it didn't seem to bother him.

Jack made a tipping motion with his hand and Judy, knowing the drill, chugged the contents of the water bottle before throwing the empty plastic container to the ground at his feet. She felt for a moment as if she might actually throw up again.

While she was running, Jack had shored up the smudged white line in the sand that marked their sparring arena. In the distance stood the city of Zootopia, hazy in the hot winds blowing off the cities more arid districts. Nearer to them, but still over a mile out, was a military base whose name Judy had never gotten the chance to learn. Even closer still was a two-story chain link fence, topped with several looping layers of barbed wire that encircled the entire compound. Closest of all was the cracked mud of the dusty barren earth which so eagerly drank the sweat that dripped from her in a never-ending dribble.

While Judy stared off towards the city center, Jack had backed up and was now adopting a fighting stance. "Again, you have 30 seconds to take me down or push me out of the ring. Use any means necessary. If you ever want this day to be over you are going to have to win this. So far I'm seriously disappointed. Wilde had me on my back within the first ten minutes. What's your excuse?"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Well, come over here and make me."

Judy had had enough. That's not to say she hadn't fought with all her might during the previous eleven bouts. She had to admit, Jack was an unreal fighter. Not only was he fast, he hit _hard_ ; her bruises had bruises.

With an explosive leap, Judy went on the attack. Halfway to him, seeing what was coming, she rolled to the side as Jack reached down and whipped a fist full of sand straight for her face. He wasn't going to get her that way again. Now off to his right side she leapt up and fired off a combination of kicks straight for his face which he somehow miraculously managed to dodge; shuffling away.

"Trying to kick me in the face?" he mocked, "Mystical dance fighting is for kung-fu movies."

Taking Jack's advice Judy aimed a kick low, trying to sweep him off his feet. But again, Jack was quick and pivoted, bringing his prosthetic leg up to block her incoming kick.

The sound of shinbone bouncing off a titanium alloy echoed through the air just before Judy's hiss of pain. As she stumbled back Jack stepped forward and kicked her hard right between the legs. With a strangled cry Judy crumpled to the ground.

"Having a false leg is a disadvantage but it can also be an asset. I'm giving you a hint here Hopps. And just because you're a female doesn't mean you don't need to protect your groin. Next time, use your knee to block a low kick."

The rage that had been simmering inside Judy decided to boil over as she once again found her voice. "You! Asshole!"

In a surprise attack Judy threw herself forward while still prone and grabbed the base of Jack's fake leg with both hands. Standing, she pulled it out from under him, sending him into the dirt. The striped bunny wasn't about to give up that easily and began wriggling his body in an attempt to break free. Judy however was beyond mercy and grabbing the release on the prosthetic, pulled it off him, and in one motion, hurled it out across the makeshift arena.

Before Jack could even sit up she was on him, fists flying.

He caught two good punches to the face before he managed to get into a reasonable position to grapple her. One thing they didn't teach at the academy was how to deal with an opponent who had you on the ground.

Within twenty seconds Jack had squirmed around her and pulled her in a headlock. For a few moments, Judy elbowed uselessly towards his ribs; never quite connecting.

Her world began to fade, fuzzing out at the edges and becoming grey.

The next thing she knew she was laying on her back, heaving for breath, the hot late-day sun beating down against her face.

It took her a minute before she realized that Jack was laying beside her, also breathing heavily from the exertion of their fight.

Once his breathing had slowed, still laying on his back Jack began to speak, "You, Officer Hopps, rely heavily on bigger, stronger mammals underestimating you because of your size. Having an opponent totally dismiss you is an incredible advantage. But, believe me, it won't be a given forever.

When you see a weakness in your enemy you **must** exploit it - aggressively. Be it a elephant or a tiny mouse, don't fall into the same trap that you so often use on others. Don't underestimate your opponent. Never aim for less than an utter, one sided victory. I am a much better fighter than you Hopps, you need to be better."

"I was valedictorian in the academy. I've taken down lions, tigers... even bears. How much better of a fighter do I need to be?"

"You may think you've had some good fights, but believe me when I say - you have yet to see what a real opponent looks like. The boxing they taught you is ridiculous, and less than worthless in the real world. You've got incredible speed and agility I admit. That's all that's been carrying you up till now. Eventually you'll run into someone who doesn't underestimate you. Someone who isn't unbalanced by your speed. When that day comes, you are going to die, be it from razor sharp claws or one solid hit that breaks every bone in your body."

Judy rolled onto her side. The space between her legs throbbed. She'd probably be walking funny for days. "You sound like every other rabbit I've ever met. If I'd listened to stuff like that I'd never have made it this far."

"I'm nothing like them and you know it. We _are_ rabbits Judy. We are fragile. You need to leave your ideals of 'fair fighting' at the door. No fight you will ever be in is going to be fair. Maximize your advantages. Exploit, with extreme prejudice, your opponent's weaknesses. Every time, no matter what kind of mammal they are. Do that and you might just live to become chief of police someday."

Judy strongly disagreed with Jacks rhetoric, but decided she was too tired to argue. Chief though - even sitting as she was, out of breath, hurting and covered in dirt, Judy smiled. "You really think I could be chief some day?"

"Yes, I think if you can keep yourself alive that it's a very real possibility."

"Well I apprec-"

Jack cut her off, "Although personally I think Nick would make a far superior chief. And I would bet on him if not for the suspicion that he will eventually have far higher aspirations than a lowly, browbeaten, 'Chief of Police.'"

Judy just shook her head, _what did I expect_ , "How kind of you to say. Listen Jack, I can't run anymore... or fight, so can we please call it a day? Because, like Nick, I'm just about ready to book the rest of the week off and take a vacation."

"I don't think that will be necessary. We're done. You passed the test when you finally used my leg against me. We are going to be training here at the base again tomorrow. I can arrange for a cab to take you home or you can stay in the female barracks tonight. I can assure you that the food they serve in the cafeteria is mostly edible."

Judy mulled it over for only a few moments. It was rush hour so it would be a long drive back to her apartment, plus however much time it took the cab to arrive. She desperately needed to get into a hot shower and eat something. The base seemed to be fairly like the academy in many respects so she wasn't all too worried.

* * *

When they stepped inside the barracks some ten minutes later, Jack pointed out an empty room where she could spend the night as well as where to find towels and showers. He rummaged through several closets until he found a grey set of track pants and a hoodie in her size. The hooded sweater had a large elaborate 'shield and sword' logo emblazoned on the front that read, 'ZMA-BOT' and below that in smaller letters 'Basic Officer Training'.

"You get to be a cadet for the next couple of days. Congratulations."

Judy frowned as she took the clothing, "If you had told me I needed to pack an overnight bag, I would have."

Jack turned and waved a paw dismissively as he began walking down the hall. "Must have slipped my mind. Tomorrow, parade ground, 0' eight hundred, don't be late. Goodnight Hopps."

Judy practically growled, but kept her words under her breath so he wouldn't hear, "Night, Jack-ass."

* * *

A very long shower later, changing into her grey tracksuit, Judy found herself in the cafeteria. She waited in line and picked out a variety of things from what was a surprisingly robust vegetarian selection. Unlike the police force, the military was open to all citizens of Zootopia as per the constitution; regardless of age, sex or species. Looking around the room Judy saw a few dozen mammals, many dressed much like she was. The variety of species was interesting, Judy noticed that prey were slightly in the minority.

Before she made her way out of the line Judy quickly asked a lama manning a food station if she could have a sandwich bag or something like it. The lama raised an eyebrow but returned in a moment with the plastic bag. Judy thanked her and hobbled on.

Next, she stopped at the drink station and filled the bag with ice. Taking another quick glance around she found an empty table near the back of the room and sat down. She wrapped the improvised ice pack in some paper napkins and gingerly placed it against her bruised crotch.

She had just begun to eat when she noticed a good portion of the room was evacuating their seats. To her horror, they began to take up the seats all around her. Once those seats were gone, others dragged chairs over and squeezed in until the rectangular metal table was packed on all sides.

Judy was watching all this wide eyed, until the mammals sitting directly across from her spoke, "I'm Gomez." Judy assumed that was his/ her last name. The mammal speaking was a hyena, extremely buff, the blond fur on the top of its head had been dyed blue and for the life of Judy she could not figure out, by voice or looks, if the mammal was a male or a female. "You're Judy Hopps, right?"

Judy's mouth hung open for a moment before she finally answered, "Uh, yep. That's me. What… what's up with you guys?"

Gomez continued to speak for the group, "We're PAT platoon. Basically, those awaiting training or who have medical stuff. Gets pretty boring being stuck out here with nothing to do. So, when we heard there was a couple of celebrities on base, we all couldn't wait to come down for a chat."

"A - a celebrity? I'm n-not-"

"Of course you are. Mammals love you."

 **"I don't!"**

"Screw you Brutus, it's not her fault your brother got arrested."

"Hey Marsh, you have a poster of her above your bed don't you?"

A pretty pudú popped her small horned head into the space above the table and grinned, "Yes I do."

The male coyote who mentioned the poster added with amusement, "Williams says you look at it while you flick the bean every night."

The pudú's grin widened substantially, "Also true!"

Several of the mammals at the table started chuckling. A female moose sitting nearby who Judy guessed might be 'Williams' spoke over the ruckus, pointing, "Hey look, the bunny's got ice on her cootch. Hey bunny, I bet if you asked, Marsh here would kiss it better for you."

The whole table began to riot with laughter. It became impossible to understand what was being said as everyone was barking, yelling and talking at once. Bits of cornbread and rice were starting to be flung around. Judy was perfectly frozen; her brain having gone on vacation.

Across the room a rhinoceros stood from where he was eating with what looked to be a group of officers. "Hey!" the table went silent in an instant as the shout seemed to shake the room. "Listen up you bags of shit! Simmer the fuck down or it's marching drills till the break of dawn!"

There was a momentary pause before the whole table erupted in, "SIR, YES SIR!"

Coming back to life Judy decided then, that she needed to finish her meal as soon as possible and get the heck out of here. Picking a cube of cornbread off her plate she unceremoniously stuffed it into her mouth and started chewing with a purpose.

The androgynous hyena, Gomez, began speaking again as if nothing had happened. "So, anyway, how do you know Major Savage?"

Judy had to take a sip of water so she could swallow her mouthful of bread. After a heavy swallow that threatened to send her into a coughing fit she answered, "He is the skills development… mammal of the ZPD. We are doing one-on-one training all this week."

A giraffe whose head was hanging over the table like a new-aged light fixture sneered, "Working for a the ZPD? That's so lame. Why the hell would he ever want to join those useless mall cops?"

That bothered Judy enough that she inadvertently snapped back, "Hey!"

Marsh piped up from where she was bouncing on her chair, "Not you Judy. We love you."

 **"I don't!"**

"Everybody quiet!" Gomez stood, the hyena bared its teeth and flexed. That seemed to be enough to shut every-mammal up.

"Sorry, Officer Hopps. These guys don't know when to keep it to themselves sometimes. So, anyway, what we were all wondering is… any chance we could join in on this training you're doing? Major Savage… he's kind of a legend around here."

For the first time since the meal had started Judy's focus shifted away from wanting to escape, "A legend?"

"Definitely. They used to call him 'Jack the Reaper' back during the war. He's almost got the highest number of confirmed sniper kills, _ever_. You heard of Trunka the Tank Killer? Jack was the one who finally took her down. I'd give my left nut just for a chance to talk to him."

A wolf sitting a short way down the table jeered, "Hey, with one nut think you'd still be able to get yourself pregnant Bella."

The hyena hacked out a dangerous laugh and smacked the table top, "S'the way it's gotta be Barks, unless you wanna be my baby daddy."

"You think you can take me Gomez?"

"Yeah," a fruit bat that was perched on the shoulder of the female moose, threw out it's wings, "in the ass!"

"Fuck you Guano… Hey Gomez, I doubt things are gonna work out with your little rabbit crush, remember this one: Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Jack jumped onto a tiger's d-"

The giraffe hanging over them brought a hoof around and cracked the wolf across the back of the head. "Have some respect!"

The table was devolving back into random arguments and laughter once again. Judy couldn't take it anymore. As much as she was interested to dig into Jack's past, this crowd was just too much. During their banter, she stuffed as much as she could manage into the center pocket of her hoodie before slipping off the metal stool and scampering stealthily away. As she escaped the cafeteria she heard the booming voice of the rhinoceros Officer, "That's it fuckwits! Get outside, get in ranks, NOW!"

Judy ate what was left in her pockets on the way back to her room. All the while she ran what they had said about Jack through her head. He had killed mammals. She'd guessed as much when he first introduced himself, but confronted with the reality of it… she didn't know how to feel. Judy could have joined the military back during the years she had tried and failed to get into the police academy. But, war was against everything she believed. She wanted to make the world a better place, not pull it apart. Even if they called themselves 'peacekeepers' she knew from a great deal of study that it wasn't always the case. The moment she had a few bars of signal on her phone she needed to get online and do some research.

Jack the Reaper,  
Trunka the Tank Killer,  
Major Savage…

These names echoed in Judy's mind as, dropping into her single bed, she fell instantly into a deep exhausted slumber.


	9. Chapter 9

**So, most writers generally seem to apologize when they are late with chapters. All I'm going to say is that life is good but really, really full of stuff that needs my personal attention. I am still writing. In fact, I have finally decided how I am going to end this series which I expect now will end up being around 15-20 chapters.**

"You can't be serious."

"I'm very serious. What happens if an elephant goes savage someday? How are you going to stop it unless you can handle a weapon that can literally _take down an elephant_?"

Judy again hefted the enormous, heavily modified, AA class handgun before setting it carefully back into its black carrying case. She picked up one of the bullets that had been aligned in a row, standing at attention in the truck bed. Her thumb and pointer finger could just manage to encircle the base of the shell. "This is not a gun, it's a piece of artillery. How in the thorny-briar do you expect me to fire this thing? I'll dislocate or break something for sure."

"Just brace yourself and to be safe wear the vest and the helmet… and the neck brace, and the mouth guard."

"Jack, I'm not shooting that gun. It's pointless and impossible for me to handle."

Jack shook his head, "Impossible huh? Can't be done? Since when is a little thing like 'impossible' and 'wildly ill advised' even in your vocabulary? You're the famous Judy Hopps right? Defier of expectations, bunny without boundaries, hero of-"

"Please stop! Ugh, I didn't think anyone could be worse than Nick! Look, I can see you're trying to prove a point. I'm going to eat dirt and then you'll spout some fortune cookie wisdom. How about instead, we skip ahead and you just tell me what it is I'm supposed to get out of this?"

The buck put his hands up and smirked at her, "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Judy bore her eyes into him. She had never been so sore, and rarely so cranky as she was this miserable day. Spending it doing 'training' with Jack, the merits of which she was beginning to seriously question, certainly didn't help.

Jack just put his hands in the air in apparent surrender, "Alright, I'll do you one better Miss Hopps, I'll show you how it's done."

With his ever-present 'resting smug-face,' (that was far less handsome and endearing than Nick's in her opinion) Jack began dressing himself in some of the gear that he had loaded into the back of their little four-wheeler.

After breakfast, Jack had driven them out to the range with a variety of deadly ballistic weapons in tow. Judy had only ever fired an 'E' class handgun (the smallest size category built). Like everything else during her training, she had excelled at it, but personally she found deadly weapons to be distasteful. If she'd had her way, after the academy, there would never have been any need to touch a deadly firearm again.

The weapons Jack had brought out with them were nothing short of ridiculous. Each had been modified so a rabbit could fire them, and most were originally built for much larger mammals in mind.

Minutes prior to revealing what he dubbed the 'pièce de résistance' Jack had Judy attempt to fire a modified 'C' class assault rifle. Equipped with a padded vest that made her look like she was on the bomb squad, and a sports helmet with a metal grill on the front, Judy found that using all her strength she was able to just barely fire the weapon without flying ass over teakettle. Unfortunately, Jack had then insisted she try shooting in automatic. This she did, instantly the recoil lifted her into the air before spinning her backwards fast enough that she landed flat on her back; the gun nearly careening away into the air. All jack had said when she eventually picked herself up was, "Well, I'm certainly glad I wasn't standing behind you." and "Maybe… stick to semi-automatic from now on."

 _Prick._ If her firearms instructor at the academy had any idea of the horrendous lack of gun safety being observed here and now, the old beaver would have had an aneurysm.

In the present, Jack had outfitted himself in the same manner as Judy and was lifting the huge handgun off the table. With a handle sticking out the side, and a wide flat stock, Jack ended up looking like he was wielding some kind of terrifying concrete drill.

"Now, my good doe, I ask that you take a few steps off to the side just to be safe. It's been almost a decade since I last did this."

Jack braced the gun and pointed it at the target sitting ten meters in front of him. "The first nickname I ever got when I was in the army was 'Jumping Jack'."

The rabbit began to hop in place before taking two skipping steps backwards. On his second skip he sprung into the air, reversing all the while. At the apex of his leap the gun suddenly fired with a concussive blast that cracked across the deserted training area. Judy gasped as Jack first rocketed backwards through the air before hitting the ground in a crouch, sliding through the dirt as he slowly straightened his knees, widening his legs in what a skier might have called a 'backwards snowplow'. About ten feet from where he started, Jack slowed to a near stop before a rock embedded in the ground caught on the foot of his prosthetic leg, sending him reeling back onto his butt.

The sight gave Judy a small amount of guilty satisfaction. Looking back, she noted that a huge hole had appeared in the center of the target. Despite her mood, and her general feelings towards the odd bunny and his eccentric 'training' methods, she had to fight the urge to jump, squeal, and clap her hands, because, as difficult as it was to admit, and failed landing aside, that had been _pretty FREAKING AWESOME!_

Coughing and wheezing, Jack put the huge gun on the ground and crawled his way back to standing while brushing himself off. "A bit more kick then I remember." Then looking to Judy who was trying hard not to smile he continued, "So? What's the lesson?"

Judy shrugged offering up a cursory answer, "Don't underestimate a bunny?"

"Not exactly, although I admit us rabbits are capable of far more than _even_ _we_ give ourselves credit for. Next question, have you ever watched anime?"

The look Judy gave Jack, like he'd just sprouted a third ear, told him that she likely hadn't.

Eventually she answered anyway, "Uh… I know _of_ it... somehow I didn't take you for a fan."

"Oh, I'm really not. My husband was a fanatic though, so I've watched far more than I care to mention."

Judy mouthed the word 'husband', not quite shocked but certainly surprised. Something was itching at the back of her mind before her thoughts were interrupted.

"If you **_had_** watched any, you might know that the main character often has a special move that they save only for the most dire of situations. In the real world, as a rabbit who is constantly underestimated, I've found it's always good to have a few spectacular tricks up my sleeve. What that means for you, seeing as I've decided to pass on my amazing skills, is you're going to practice using this insane handgun built for a giraffe so that _someday_ , when you put down a criminal fifty times your size, mammals are going to look at you like you're some kind of tiny god."

Judy's improving mood suddenly soured, "You don't know much about me if you think that I would _ever_ use that thing on another mammal. I joined the police to serve and protect, not blow mammals to kingdom come."

"Never say never Officer Hopps. In the real world, sometimes that's what it takes."

Judy huffed, breath hissing through her teeth. "Really? Is that where you're from then Savage? The real world-"

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone.

Jack pulled the device out of his pocket and answered quietly before motioning at her with a wave of his paw indicating that the call would take a minute.

Judy didn't intend to pry, but she couldn't help but overhear snippets of what Jack was saying as the striped rabbit walked slowly away with the phone pressed to his ear.

"Yes, this is him… No… I am aware… Are you positive? No... I can leave immediately… Alright… Yes. I'll see you then… I'd like to examine it personally… Definitely... Goodbye."

Jack pressed a button on his phone to end the call. Without looking at Judy or giving her any indication of what was going on, he started to load the equipment they had brought out to the range into the back of the tiny military truck. Judy decided, by the sudden sullen silence that had settled over Jack, that it might be best to quietly go along with whatever he was doing.

* * *

Within the hour, the two had arranged much of the gear into the trunk of Jack's car while Judy retrieved what little she'd brought along with her. It wasn't until they were both seated, and Jack had begun to pull away from the military base, that Judy decided to break the silence.

"So, where are we headed?"

Jack didn't respond for a full minute, "I'll be dropping you off at your residence back in Zootopia. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to cut our training short. A personal matter will see me unavailable for several days."

"Oh," Judy replied not exactly sure how she felt, "well I guess I'll be back at the station for the rest of the week then. Hopefully Bogo doesn't put me onto parking duty."

"If you prefer I can simply not tell your Chief that I'll be gone. I can give you a sort of 'self-study' program to follow."

Judy considered the proposition momentarily but shook her head, "I can't do that. It feels too much like I'd be stealing time. When you get a chance, you should let the precinct know though."

Jack nodded not looking overly surprised or disappointed. The car ride continued for several minutes before Judy couldn't contain herself any longer. She simply wasn't used to sitting next to someone and not engaging in companionable conversation.

"What's your husband do if you don't mind me asking? I didn't notice a ring or smell a mark, so I wouldn't have guessed you were married."

Jack didn't take his eyes from the road, his expression remaining unchanged. As the stillness within the car lengthened, Judy was beginning to second guess her question when Jack answered tersely, "I keep my ring at home these days. My husband past away several years ago."

"Oh…" Judy immediately began mentally kicking herself. The clues had been there from the start. In fact, hadn't he mentioned his husband in the past tense…? Judy was sure he had. " _Nice going Hopps, you'll make detective in no time at this rate."_

"Jack, I'm very sorry... Do you… do you mind if I ask what happened?"

Jack's expression was still unchanged and Judy suspected that he was keeping his face carefully neutral. After a few moments of watching him, she saw as he seemed to lose a bit of his unnatural calmness as he sighed gently, let out a long breath, "Don't worry, it's in the past and I'm in a far better place then I was. That being said, I think it's a topic I'd prefer to avoid for now."

"Of course," Judy answered, stammering slightly, "I ah- I really had no right to ask in the first place."

"Think nothing of it Officer Hopps."

"Just Judy is fine-please."

Jack smiled, although it seemed forced, "Alright, Judy."

She didn't like him. He was snarkier than even Nick, which she would have thought impossible. He wasn't _like_ Nick though, she felt… almost that there was a darkness, a cruelty lurking below the surface of all their interactions, while with Nick, it was very much the opposite. Still, she had to respect him. He had come before her and in a way, took her attitude of 'bunny power' further than she had ever dared.

Lost in thought, the conversation in the car ground to a halt once again. For the next forty-five minutes the two rabbits sat watching as the city loomed ever closer like some gleaming mirage on the horizon.

The next time Jack spoke it was to confirm directions to Judy's apartment building. The time after that, it was just as they were pulling up to the front doors.

"I'm sorry I haven't been the most entertaining traveling companion. I have a lot on my mind."

"That's fine-"

Jack cut her off, "I've been trying to decide if I should talk to you about something… You see, when I was with Officer Wilde last week he referred to you several times as his closest friend. Would you agree with that sentiment?"

Judy was caught off guard but had no trouble in answering, "Yes, absolutely."

"And how far would you go for him… if he was in trouble?"

Again, Judy answered without hesitation, although now her heart was beginning to pump faster. _What's happened to Nick?_ _If Savage is asking me these questions for no good reason I'm going to be very pissed._

"I would do anything for Nick. He's my partner and we both trust each other with our lives. Why, what's wrong?"

"Probably nothing. It's possible that he isn't in any trouble at all actually, and I'm just seeing things that aren't there."

Judy had unbuckled her seatbelt and turned towards him. Jack had to turn his eyes away from the intense focus of her gaze. "Jack, after saying that, and if you intend to leave here any time soon, you are going to have to elaborate with as much detail as you possibly can."

The way she said it, her voice containing a deep undertone of menace; Jack raised an eyebrow at her. This was a side of the younger rabbit that he hadn't seen before.

" _Is this the Judy Hopps who put two mayors in jail? She's wasted as a police officer—still has a lot to learn though."_

Jack left the thought for later and cleared his throat, "Because you are so close to Nicholas and because I personally trust you, I'm going to tell you a story. Let me say now, just in case you might be recording this on that plastic carrot you carry around, that this story is pure fiction."

"Riiight…" Judy grimaced slightly, but decided despite Jack having caught her, to let her carrot pen continue to capture the conversation.

"Last week Officer Wilde and I had a bit of a bonding experience. I found his skills to be exceptional, far beyond anything that I had been expecting out of the ZPD. After a very fruitful week, I decided to take Nicholas out for a drink as a means to celebrate. Strangely enough, I felt that in just the few short days that we spent training together… That me and him had found a kinship, and became friends. Seeing as this is a new city and making friends has always been difficult for me, I wanted to get to know him as much as I could before our time was up. Now, it was during our night out, and after several drinks that we met another rabbit who introduced himself as Max Lapins. This newcomer joined us at the bar and was quite friendly. He also took a liking to Nicholas almost immediately. As the night went on, it seemed that Nicholas and Max were getting on extremely well. At the time, I was surprised, but in no way upset to see that Nicholas had an interest in this male rabbit. It wasn't long after they started… I guess around here you might call it 'making out', that they had called a cab and left together."

Judy had been listening intently, and was unaware that her fist had become tightly clenched, "So what happened? Was there something up with this _Max_ character?"

Jack nodded, "Indeed. It wasn't until the next day that it started to bother me. He had asked questions, not all at once, but slowly and skillfully, that were meant to lead into more personal conversation. Although his _physical_ attention was centered on Nick, the truly probing questions were always directed at me. Understand that it was done so subtly that even someone with my background missed what was happening at the time. The next day I used some of my old resources to look into the strange rabbit. You know what I found? A shell. There is a full record of Mr. Lapins life-driver's licence, high school records, birth certificate. However, underneath that, there was nothing, no hobbies, no medical appointments, dental records, credit cards. From the outside there appears to be a mammal, but the multitudinous details that make up an actual, living and breathing citizen of Zootopia simply didn't exist. In short, Max Lapins isn't real, and he isn't who he says he is."

Judy's ears were fully erect and the fur at her neck was puffed out. Jack could see her dilated pupils shining in the shaded interior of the car. "Didn't you tell Nick about any of this? What does this guy want? We need to go find him right now, he could be in danger!"

"Hold on. Stay calm Hopps. Listen, as thin as Max's existence is on paper, he is in no way breaking any laws. He has also shown no ill will of any kind towards me or Nicholas. All of this is simply me going off my experience and a gut feeling. I had intended to keep a close, but quiet watch on the situation. I do not believe that even in the worst-case scenario that Nick is in any real danger. However, now that I need to leave for the remainder of the week, I won't be able to keep tabs on any of it."

"So, you need me to be the one to do it?"

"Yes, I admit that I was hoping you would be willing. Although it wouldn't be police business. In fact, it could put you in a somewhat embarrassing situation to say the least. Finally, it may well be that Max Lapins truly is harmless and has no ulterior motive. He could be in witness protection for all we know or-"

"I'll do it." The decisive interjection from Judy stopped Jack mid-sentence. After a pause, he nodded.

"Alright then. I have very little to go on but I'm going to send you a very _interesting_ video I discovered of Nicholas and Mr. Lapins on the internet. I'll tell you now that once I viewed it, I had a friend of mine quietly remove the file from the site it was on. If Nicholas is lucky, no copy but mine still exists. The video is somewhat, uh... compromising to say the least, and sexual in nature. If you're not comfortable with that then I suggest you don't view it. However, it could contain something that might help you. I simply don't know."

Judy tried to process this but only managed to nod her head, "Okay, so wait, back up a second. Did you tell Nick about any of this? And what do you think this rabbit wants with him?"

Jack looked apologetic and a little frustrated when he admitted that, "Yes. I spoke to him about it. The only response I got was that I worry too much and that everything is fine."

Judy sighed; it certainly sounded like Nick— _dumb fox_.

"And if I had to guess, I'd bet that he is from a rival agency, or maybe even from one of our own, here to ascertain if my retirement is legitimate."

While Judy mulled this over in her mind, Jack climbed out of the driver seat and popped the trunk of his car. From it, he dragged out the black case that housed the massive handgun that he had fired at the range along with the safety gear to go along with it.

Placing it all down on the sidewalk as Judy exited the car Jack cleared his throat, "Here, this is a gift from me to you. I can't really use it properly anymore with my leg the way it is and it's specifically made for rabbits... it makes sense for you to have it."

Judy shook her head emphatically, ears wagging behind her back, "That's very generous Jack, but I don't want it. I'm pretty strongly opposed to these kinds of weapons."

Jack just shrugged and smiled, "Like I said it's a gift. Sell it at a yard-sale, or leave it under your bed to collect dust for all I care. As it stands though, I'm the only rabbit in history who has ever been able to effectively fire a 'AA' rated handgun and remain standing. I dare you to be the second."

Too distracted by her own thoughts to argue, Judy surveyed the pile of stuff at her feet. The space under her bed was already packed to the brim with crap. By the time she looked up to see what Jack was doing he was already back inside his car. Rolling down his window he hollered at her, "Remember Judy, just watch and listen. Don't do anything illegal, and please, try not to get-overzealous."

With that, he waved as his car pulled away from the sidewalk, disappearing down the road. Judy stood a while, not exactly sure what to do next. She had more questions, but supposed she would have to ask them later.

Being a rabbit of action, she couldn't stand idle for long. Ten minutes later Judy was back in her apartment, the incredibly shady, 'sudo-cannon' stowed securely away.

After taking a few minutes to shower she sat down in her computer chair, a towel wrapped tightly around her body. Logging into her email she found a new message awaiting her attention. Inside the email was an attached video; ' '. Uncertain of what to expect, nervous, yet excited, Judy downloaded the file, dragged it into the carrot movie app, and pressed play.

* * *

In their formative years, it is a common occurrence for young mammals to have a sort of 'watershed' moment when it comes to sex. This can be experienced in many forms. For some, it's an image or video, for others it's an object or individual at a specific time or place. It could be a smell or a feeling. In whatever way this moment happens to manifests itself, it is, for each male or female who experiences it, the first taste of what they will later come to understand as the 'erotic', or initial stirring where sexual desire moves from the purely instinctual/ biological and takes up residence in the mind; becoming desire.

Judy Hopps had never been one to masturbate unless it served a purpose. This purpose almost always fell into the same small handful of categories; to relieve tension, to regain focus, and very occasionally, purely for self discovery.

While sitting in a dentist's office when she was sixteen, Judy had come upon an article in a magazine that claimed masturbation was a good and useful tool for maintaining one's' health. She took this advice to heart and endeavored to relieve herself two to three times a week. When she was eighteen she bought a small vibrator that was cleverly disguised as a tube of lipstick. When this eventually stopped working after about four years (a good value at z19.99 in her opinion) she bought another exactly like it.

By the time her adolescence was over, Judy liked to think she had a fairly good understanding of what it was that got her excited. That was to say that no rabbit she had ever met seemed to register on her scale of attraction at all. It had set her apart for much of her life. It had also made her something of a prude, because from her view point, the bunnies around her were nothing less then sex crazed lunatics. It was the only thing so many of them seemed to be driven by. Looking on from her lonely vantage, Judy always wondered what all the fuss was about.

What had she expected when she opened the video of Nick and his 'companion' Max Lapins? Certainly not this. Not the formative moment that had alluded her for years-that by all rights she should have experienced some time in her early teens. And yet, unbeknownst to her, that's exactly what happened from the first scene, opening to a view of Max slowly running his tongue up the hardening shaft of Nicks member, to the final still frame.

Within the first thirty second of playback, Judy found herself experiencing a rainbow of emotions. The one that overtook all others quickly revealed itself to be lust-a lust that she had never imagined. Heat was crawling along her body. An aching, torrid longing was building between her legs. Parts of her brain simply decided to shut down, notably the parts that were concerned with any notion of looking away. Instead, and while only half aware that she was doing it, Judy had crept her paw downward, pulled up the towel wrapped around her waist and slipped two finger effortlessly inside herself. On the screen the black rabbit was bobbing his open mouth over Nick's cock. The look on his face was one of absolute bliss, practically worshipful. That wasn't what enthralled Judy. What had come to fill the corners of her mind, and was sending tremulous waves across her skin was the look on _her_ fox's face. His shirt open, chest revealed, cream colored fur shimmering in the subdued light. She watched as the well-defined muscles underneath his thick coat rippled over his long, angular form. The sounds of pleasure he made, calling "Yes! Babe! Oh… keep going. Oh, god that feels so good." The hitching of his breath which was gasping in time now with her own.

Judy came; so entranced by the images that she didn't even make a sound. She just rode the euphoria, never looking away, her whole body shaking as she pulled her fingers back, pinching them snugly around her clitoris. She squirted, for the first time in her life; barely even realizing it.

The video continued. Nick had changed position and was now rapidly pounding himself, 'mouth fucking' the male rabbit. Judy slipped her fingers back inside. Her lust wasn't sated, not by a mile. She could already feel a second orgasm rising within her. Locking her eyes to the fox on the screen-the fox that she loved-Judy lost herself. For a timeless stretch of drumming heartbeats, gasps and whimpered moans, it was almost as if he was there; within her.

Knowing that a sensitive spot existed deep inside, just beyond the reach of her fingers, Judy grabbed the wrist of the hand she was using to pleasure herself and pulled back; adding friction, going slightly deeper and grinding the palm of her hand against the front of her clit. Judy rotated her hips, grinding her ass into the now totally ruined computer chair, she felt herself beginning to peak again.

Then a fist banged hard against the wall causing her to squeal, jump forward in terror, and slam her laptop closed.

"HEY BUNNY TURN DOWN THAT GAY PORN!"

"Leave the bunny alone, can't you hear she's masturbating!?"

"Yeah well I'm trying to watch T.V!"

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"NO! You shut up!"

" _Oh no, oh no, oh no oh-no-oh-no-oh-no!"_ Judy was freaking out. Still nine-tenths of the way to an orgasm and shivering like a mole rat in tundra town, she used her towel to fumblingly wipe herself down before mindlessly pulling on a pair of running shorts. After throwing on a dirty shirt she blew out her door without even bothering to lock it. The only thing she managed to grab on her way out was her phone. Once at street level, Judy started running. First, she circled the block before cruising onward towards the city central park. Her pace was borderline panicked, but it didn't matter, just so long as she wasn't bombarded with more memories of the thing she had just seen. It was right there at the top of her mind, every exquisite, lude, delicious, disgusting detail. She felt out of control, like if she were to stop running she might unknowingly stick her hand back down her pants, like she didn't even know her own body.

Judy kept running, until the sun over Zootopia had begun to set. She ran until even the traces of her previous arousal had all been intermingled and washed away with a heavy lather of sweat.

When Judy finally returned home, her apartment dark and still unlocked, she immediately grabbed her computer chair and hauled it down the stairs. The smell had seeped deep into the cheap foam seat and nothing was ever going to get it out. For good measure, she scooped up the used towel as well and dumped both into the garbage bin at the back of her building. Returning to her room again she eyed the closed laptop like it was a poisonous snake. She went so far as to throw a coat over top of it so she wouldn't have to look at it. The temptation was there. The video was paused, waiting within, ready for her to re-watch it. This time she could put a towel down on her bed and plug in her headphones-"

" _Don't even think about it!"_

Wrestling with a side of herself she had rarely taken any notice of, Judy took her second shower of the day. Sitting on her bed she slumped back against her pillows with a deep sigh of frustration. Intent on thinking up a plan to uncover the truth behind Max Lapins identity, Judy didn't realize just how tired she really was, as within seconds she lay naked above her bed, asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Nick Wilde awoke slowly; drifting dimly. Before his thoughts coalesced into any sort of coherent thread, he was made comfortably aware of a pleasant aching between his legs. Next, he registered the smell. Not wholly unpleasant (to him at least) but unmistakingly that of sex; they had spent most of the night at it, so it made sense that the scent would be nearly overwhelming. Jack had made love to him and to his surprise and delight, Nick had reached orgasm three times (a tie for his all-time record).

Making love.

 _"Am I really in love? And with a rabbit - again? It's only been a month. Is this feeling real or… just the absence of heartbreak?"_

A valid question.

In his sleepy state, sighing into his pillow Nick decided not to get into it just now. For once, he didn't feel overly rushed to confront his feelings. Even without putting a name to it, this thing he had - the companionship, the trust and yes, the sex as well. It was undeniably better than anything he had had in a _very_ long time.

Speaking of sex, they had certainly done a lot of it. A few days ago, Nick had never even experienced 'anal' anything, and now, well, he was just sorry he'd gone so long without.

To be fair, being in a same-sex relationship hadn't changed much. He certainly wasn't feeling any sudden attractions to random males he saw walking down the street; Jack it seemed was special somehow in that respect. Still, the sex. The sex! It blew his mind… as well as other things.

The previous night Jack had taken him from behind for the first time and somehow the deep, rhythmic thrusting had set him off in record time; almost embarrassingly fast. He couldn't even make fun of Jack's quick finishes anymore. Something about the rabbit's size and shape hit that sweet spot inside him in just the right way.

Afterward, as they lay panting, Jack had jokingly called him a, "hands-free homosexual miracle".

Sleepily reminiscing, Nick's hands instinctively searched under the covers, only to discover a leith form pressed back-facing into his own chest and hips. They had become so closely entwined in sleep that Nick had stopped recognizing the smaller mammal as a separate entity.

After a minute basking in their closeness, Nick found himself slowly, and gently running the pads of his fingers along Jack's stomach. Before the striped bunny had begun to awaken, the fox shifted his paw lower and was thrilled to find a healthy morning wood; an impressively stiff specimen (as any expert could attest).

Nick drew a feathery soft touch along the underside, stopping at the frenulum and traveling back to the base a few times, before, with a great inhalation of breath, Jack let out a slight mumbling moan.

"Mmmhh, now what's all this then?"

Nick smiled and placed his chin against the awakening rabbit's head, "Oh, nothing much. Was just thinking about flipping you over and going for a ride. Wouldn't want to waste this thing you've got going on."

Jack stretched and yawned for a moment, "As much as I'd like to, I've only got this because I seriously have to pee. You sit on me now and I think I might burst, and not in a good way."

Nick hid what was an unexpectedly sharp pang of disappointment in a yawn that ended with a click of his teeth, "Suit yourself."

Jack finished stretching and turned so he was facing his fox. "So."

"So?"

"We didn't really talk last night."

Nick attempted a coquettish grin, "No, no we didn't."

"I gave Judy the video as per the plan."

"Mm, think she watched it?" Nick took a quick look at his phone before placing it back down on his nightstand, "I haven't gotten any messages."

Jack just nodded, "I'm fairly sure she watched it. That's not really what I wanted to talk about though. I wanted to confess… that... I feel like I might have gone a bit overboard these last few days. Everything kind of got out of control. I don't know, it's like - there was a time when I told lies, and manipulated people for a living." Jack speech began to waver slightly, increasing in volume and speed. Nick's sleepiness was washed away as he shook the cobwebs from his brain and focused on what the rabbit was saying.

"I had started to feel like I'm past that time in my life, but then, I do something like this. And even though it's just a prank, the lies... they just seem to flow out of me. And suddenly the old me is back. I don't like myself Nick, at least not who I used to be."

Nick scooched forward and drew his face up so that they were nose-to-nose. He could see that this was something that had been really bothering him. With one hand, he started lightly caressing Jack's backside. "I wish you had of told me this earlier Bunny Buns."

"I'm serious Nick."

"So am I. This whole thing was not supposed to get this complicated. I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable or like you're falling back into old habits."

Jack shook his head, "Look, I don't blame you for anything. I just needed to get that off my chest. And don't worry about me. After last night I'm definitely feeling better. I have a feeling after seeing that video Judy will have put two and two together. She's not dumb, your bunny. I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't planning some kind of retaliation as we speak."

Nick scoffed, "I definitely never said she was dumb (recently anyway). And she's not **my** bunny. My bunny is right here."

Jack felt a sudden jolt of fluttering happiness that bubbled up at Nick's words. "You mean that?"

Nick shifted in the early morning darkness, kissing him softly, "Yeah, I do."

"Then do you mind if I ask you something."

Nick didn't respond and instead let Jack ask his question without interruption.

"Why are you _really_ doing this? You call it a prank, but I can't help feeling like you're trying to… make her jealous, maybe?"

Nick immediately fell into a playful mocking tone, inside though his gut did a little flip, "Now, now Stripes. Are you sure _you're_ not the jealous one? I thought you said you weren't the type."

"First off, I never said that. I'm definitely the jealous type. I just didn't expect I'd be jealous of _you_."

The playfulness left Nick's face as the fox's ears fell back. A hurt look crossed his features before Jack stopped him mid-thought.

"No. That came out wrong. What I mean to say is that I've only ever experienced jealousy over one mammal, ever, and he was my husband. So feeling that way about you has been... unexpected."

Nick let out a breath. This conversation was getting way too heavy for first thing in the morning. "I believe you and, you know, as long as we talk about it, it's ok to feel that way about me sometimes - jealous I mean."

The rabbit shook his head, "It _would_ be ok, but really I might have been too hard on Hopps. I was-" Jack swallowed, his eyes dropping before he continued, "Ok, I **am** jealous of her. I got reckless... and became kind of an asshole."

"Jack, look, you have no need to be jealous of Judy. And as far as being a jerk, well, I am expecting some righteous fury is coming our way. I plan to take the brunt of it. Trust me though, I have high hopes that things are going to be fine. Once she cools off you can say you're sorry if you want. She'll come around."

Jack sighed, mulling this over. Nick started to sit up to leave the bed but Jack stopped him with a paw. "Nick."

"Mmh?"

"You never answered my question. Why are you really doing this? I know you love her…"

Nick let out a long breath, he felt exasperated, although he knew he had no right to be. Misdirection had always been his first and most powerful tool, Jack though seemed to be mostly immune.

"I guess you could say that I was trying to save our friendship." Nick finished sitting up, "This last month we've been on seriously rocky ground. I've been ready a few times to let loose on her, to tell her straight up to stay out of my affairs. I knew though, that if I started that argument it was going to go nuclear. I've been… no, **I am** afraid of the aftermath of that conversation. Me and Judy have had some shouting matches before, but this was setting up to be the grand fucking showdown. Because we care about each other, yet at the same time we have these polar opposite views. I came up with this plan because I was just hoping that maybe I could unbalance her enough that she might see things from a new perspective. Because if she can't, then I don't know what's going to happen to us."

Jack propped himself up next to Nick as he spoke. The rabbit rubbed a paw along the fox's arm before bumping him lightly with his forehead.

"Should have guessed you'd have more of an angle then just payback."

"Yeah well, I am a sly fox after all." Nick said with a grin.

"If shifting Judy's paradigm is the real goal of what we're doing then I think our final act should be less sexy and more romantic. We want her to re-evaluate her concept of love, not just sex."

 _"There's that word again."_

Nick saved his thoughts for a future time when he could really seriously consider them, "Ok, if you have an idea let's hear it."

Jack tapped at his chin for a moment, "How about less complicated. No more spy craft. Let's just hit the town, see a film, walk in the park, ride a ferris wheel and have lunch at a cafe somewhere. I still need to get you some new clothes and since we agreed I get to dress you, so-long as I'm paying, I think we could do some serious shopping as well."

"This is sounding like a sappy romantic comedy."

"I don't even care. We are going to just have the most ridiculously cliched date there ever was. If Hopps decides to spy on us being a happy couple - great. Maybe it'll give her something to think about. If not, then game over, we'll tell her everything tomorrow and we can face the fallout together."

By the end of Jack's speech Nick was looking at the rabbit with something like a mixture of amusement and admiration. "You know Hopalong, despite what mammals say, you're not just a pretty face." Nick leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, "I like this plan. You've got to dress up as Max one last time though. Also, really, no sex? Like none? How about some intense 'over-the-pants' touching at the very least?"

Jack smirked and rolled his eyes. Then with the kind of energy only a rabbit could have five minutes after waking up, he bounced his butt to the edge of the bed. Reaching out, he gave Nick's fur covered sheath a quick squeeze. Then before the fox could react he was off the bed and in three, one-legged hops, had reached the washroom door. He turned to Nick and smiled. "I think we can play it by ear."

* * *

As the morning progressed they decided to shower separately lest they get distracted. It was about an hour later, and after getting sufficiently dolled up that Jack dressed himself, careful to choose a pair of slacks that fully covered his prosthetic. Then they were out the door, hitting the town just as planned. It was around nine in the morning when Nick received a text message.

 **Judy:**

Hey Slick! Long time no see. What you up to today partner?

 **Nick:**

Hey there fluff. Been missin you!

Today I've got a bit of a date thing planned. What's up with you?

 **Judy:**

Nothing much just wanted to know if you wanted to hang. If you have a date though I've got a bunch of other stuff I've got to do. So who's your date huh? Is it Daisy? What have you got planned? Cus it better be good. She's a classy vixen after all.

(Nick laughed when he read the text, _"Real sly there Judes")_

 **Nick:**

Don't worry I'll give you the rundown later at work. We have a whole day planned though. First up, gonna see a matinee of Dead Poodle at the Bay street theater.

 **Judy:**

Seriously? That's a terrible date movie.

 **Nick:**

Are you kidding? It's a love story!

 **Judy**

Oooook whatever.

Have fun. And Nick, a word of advice… don't screw this up ;)

 **Nick**

Sage. Truly.

The amused todd showed Jack the full exchange a moment later. They both agreed that the game was on.

The day, in a word, was perfect. They saw a movie. Walked through the park as a warm breeze blew through the trees. They fed geese, and shared chaste kisses at the banks of a picturesque little pond. They ate ice cream, and Jack bought Nick a very nice charcoal grey shirt and an expensive silk tie.

Throughout all this pleasant, wholesome fun, did Judy Hopps follow them, listening, trying to pick up bits of their purposefully inane, overly mushy conversation? Yes... Was she any good at remaining hidden… no… definitely no. In fact, she was so abysmal at it that it was actually pretty funny.

Within the first ten minutes of her arrival at the theater both Nick and Jack knew exactly where she was. Throughout the day, it wasn't so much a matter of when they spotted her but more when they didn't that was rare. The pair often laughed about her sightings and whispered the codename they created for her which was simply, 'Ninja-Bunny'.

As the day waned, Judy had continued to follow them unwaveringly; even trailing them as far as Nick's house. When they hailed a cab, intent on bringing the day's events to a close, they were surprised to notice that she had jumped into her own cab and seemingly ordered it to follow them.

Jack was sitting next to Nick in the back seat as the driver pulled them into the bustling city traffic. After having snuck a look out the back window, shaking his head, he said, "I think she must have learned spying from old black and white detective films. Still, I knew she was tenacious, but this is something else. If I ever get her for development training again, it's going to be surveillance 101 for the full week."

Nick had his arm around Jack's midsection and he gave his ribs a light squeeze, "Probably a good idea. I've always found that spying is more connected to lying then it is acting. Judy can act, but she's a terrible liar." Nick only noticed at the end of his thoughts that Jack's ears had fallen slightly. He guessed what he said might have been taken as critique of what the veteran rabbit used to do. So, steering away from the topic, he kissed the buck between the ears, mentioning offhandedly, "So for dinner. I was thinking we'd eat outside since it's so nice out. What say we grill up some zucchini and portabella?"

Jack seemed to relax, laying his head against Nick's shoulder, "Sounds good Mr. Fox."

Not long after they arrived, Nick got a fire going in the pit he kept in his front yard (a mostly buried concrete pipe). Surrounded by a wildly overgrown, garbage strewn field, the house itself was a cozy, two story farmhouse. Although it looked like absolute crap on the outside, that was only a facade. Inside, and structurally, the house was actually quite well kept. Located on the edge of the city in an abandoned industrial area, Nick owned a huge area of overgrown land that had once been a box factory. A hustle in his past had used a loophole in the system to enable him to rezone a small section dead in the center of it as a residential plot. Suffice it to say, Nick's was the only house in any direction for quite a ways.

After getting the fire ready, Nick and Jack changed into comfortable clothes and began preparing their meal. At one point, Jack subtly flicked his eyes towards an area of long grass that was waving in the wind a bit too much. Nick whispered in good humor, "Ninja-Bun has arrived. I can't believe she followed us here. That little trespasser. We're going to have to find some way to chase her off I think."

Jack gave Nick a slightly lusty look, whispering knowingly, "How ever do you plan to do _that_ Mr. Wilde?"

Nick only smiled.

The two laid out a blanket on the open dirt near the fire pit and began making their dinner. They spoke about little things: favorite films, the pluses and minuses of wood flooring over tile, the uncommonly warm weather. Several times Nick caught himself almost referring to his boyfriend as Jack instead of Max. By the time they were mostly finished with their dinner Nick had grown bored with the ruse. Deeply relaxed, and taking in Jack's delicate but strongly male features as they were softly accentuated by the firelight, Nick decided that he was tired of playing around.

Grabbing the paper plate that Jack was holding, Nick tipped it and the meagre remains of his dinner into the fire. Before the bunny could protest he had captured his lips with his own, grabbing a velvety ear and stroking it from base to tip.

Jacks imminent complaint was instead transformed into a muffled, "Mmmm" as the rabbit melted at the hands of his vulpine lover.

…

Not twenty feet away Judy was watching the exchange with intense focus.

The day had been a total bust. She had learned nothing about Max Lapins and had detected no evil intent of any kind. The conversations she had heard from them were little more than innocuous (albeit affectionate) small talk. Something didn't seem right, and several times she felt as if an epiphany were just out of reach; but it never came. Unfortunately, seeing the buck and todd together constantly brought up images of, 'the video' which would in turn caused her to lose focus entirely.

Then, before her eyes, what had been just about the most tedious date in history, turned suddenly, extremely hot and heavy.

…

Nick, with an obviously practiced paw, undid the buttons of Jack's shirt with one claw in a single downward motion; his finger weaving in a looping flick, never stopping until the shirt was fully open. Without pausing, the same claw proceeded to undo the button on the rabbit's pants, catching the edge of his underwear, and in what could have constituted a pretty impressive magic trick, the currently black furred, golden eyed rabbit found himself completely naked; his clothing in a rumpled pile across from him.

All this happened in the span of three seconds. Jack yelped in surprise as he was lifted and flipped upside down. He came to a stop, the top of his head resting against Nick's inner thighs, most of his weight being held by the fox's hands which nearly enveloped his waist, his nose almost touching the buckle of Nick's pants. A moment later the bunny shuttered at the incredible sensation of Nick's tongue as it traveled from his bellybutton, up and over his hardening cock, around and across his balls and finally sliding wetly over his anus and along the soft fur of his tail.

Jack's gasp caused Nick to smile predatorily. The currently inverted bun managed to shakingly ask, "Wh- I thought you were grossed out by that kind of thing."

Remaining mute, Nick proceeded with several more long, slow licks; his tongue traversing different routes along Jack's erogenous zones each time. In seconds the rabbit had become achingly hard, moaning, he began to scramble at Nick's belt and zipper.

In the meantime, Nick, having done some online research on appropriate techniques, wound his long tongue around Jack's member, effectively wrapping it in a short corkscrew. The bunnies soft flesh thus protected from sharp teeth, Nick created a tunnel with his lips, and growling gently, began to rock the rabbit forward and back in his arms.

Jack had just managed to free Nick's foxhood from his pants. Tilting his head back he managed to get most of it into his throat just before, with a muffled series of moans, skyward legs drumming into the night air, Jack came into Nick's mouth; coating the back of the fox's throat.

Nick pulled back after a moment, letting a pool of semen rest on his tongue before swallowing. With a few clicks of his lips the fox hummed in thought, "And all this time I was just hoping it would taste like cream cheese icing. Don't be offended if I spit next time, I think swallowing is more you… try everything though, right?"

Jack might have answered but his speaking orifice was quite filled at that moment. Luckily, he, by virtue of his ancestry, was able to still breathe comfortably through his nose. Instead of giving an answer, Jack tried to work the long shaft of Nick's cock up and down his throat. Unfortunately, suspended as he was, his efforts were having little success. Nick, seeing the problem, began to bob the rabbit over this lap, using his entire body as an unconventional stroker. Jack found he really didn't mind at all.

…

Back in the bushes, a single thought skipped like a record through the forefront of Judy Hopps's mind, "I should leave I should leave I should-"

Finally, pulling her eyes from the rabbit and fox playing a very unique game of 'bobbing for apples', she mustered the will to turn away, only to discover her clenched fist seemed to be ensnared in the long grass where she appeared to be grasping it. She tried to pull away, but before her mind could command her fingers to release themselves she was distracted by a sudden moan of ecstasy that reverberated throughout the yard. The moment she looked up, all thoughts of retreat were swept away as her whole being was seized, rapt once again by the carnal spectacle.

…

Giving the fox's leg a quick tap, Jack was released from his self-imposed bondage; Nick's cock leaving his mouth with a final lewd, sucking slurp.

Recognising the signal Nick placed him back on the ground. The rabbit raised his eyebrows and smirked evilly, waved a finger in a tight circle and, wordlessly, Nick complied; he knew exactly where this was heading.

Before he'd come down for dinner, Nick had spent a few minutes in the bathroom upstairs doing a little preparation. This, it turned out, was just something that came with the territory of what he had planned for the evening's entertainment. He didn't really mind the extra work though, because in the present, after flipping on to all fours, knees spread low, Jack stepped his small feet onto the backs of the fox's calves, grabbing the base of his tail with both paws, positioned his still-hard penis against his eager tail-hole, and all-at-once, slipped inside, slamming his hips forward with virtually no resistance. Nick yipped and moaned loudly as the familiar sensation overtook his senses; this was better than good - it was fucking heaven.

Admittedly, Nick had been with quite a wide array of female partners in the past. There was no doubt or question that vaginal sex had been great. Always though, during the act, there had been a part of Nick's mind that was occupied with other things; that had remained rational. He could be pleasuring a vixen at top speed and still be thinking vaguely about the logistics of a hustle or find himself plagued by small worries. This however, what Jack was doing to him, it absolutely annihilated his mind. Nowhere and nothing existed but the feeling of getting fucked. Nick couldn't think coherent thoughts if his life depended on it. And so, he acted very outside his norm. For the first time in his life he was truly able to let loose, saying a variety of 'sexy' things. Many of these, if asked, he would have absolutely no memory of. His calls and cries of pleasure, the feral growling and unbidden yips were entirely beyond his control. He loved it, because for the first time in his life he got to take a vacation from himself; he could become lost. In that state, he felt strangely innocent… and incredibly free. It was a feeling he found himself desiring with greater and greater frequency.

…

To hell with it. Judy's attempts to fight her baser self fell to tiny pieces as she watched Nick being pounded with piston-like trusts from his lapin companion. The slapping was accompanied by an almost constant and incomprehensible stream of the fox's breathy moans and half sentences, "Ahhhnn-oh gods ye-ohhh yess-that feels so, oh... Ah AH AH Ah-yes- fuck me-fuck ah AH! Oh-"

The noise was coming from a completely transformed Nicholas Wilde whose head was firmly planted against the ground, head turned, eyes rolled as far up into his head as they could go. His mouth never closing, tongue lulling out of his mouth as it left a thin trail of saliva across the blanket. Beneath him, his cock flapped wildly, slapping lightly against his stomach, then swinging towards the ground, sending flickering dribbles of pre-cum all around him. Apart from that, Nick's dick seemed to be all but forgotten as his hands did little else but grasp and pull on the blanket in front of his face.

All of it was simply too much for Judy. At some point she had gotten her hands down her pants and began fingering herself with abandon. Her first orgasm came almost immediately and only caused her paw and wrist to act with more urgency as she made way towards her second.

…

Seconds later, with an ever growing, whimpering scream of ecstasy that lasted a _very_ long time, Nick started to cum; firing long, thin brushstrokes of semen across the blanket, catching his own chest fur in the spray and causing viscous threads of spunk, which sparkled in the firelight, to trail between himself and the ground. Jack came not long after, his whole body half-way onto Nick's back, he had been going at it from above as it seemed to provide a little extra leverage and speed. As he came, he pulled himself out of Nick and, crying out, glazed the fox's trembling testacles with his seed.

…

Judy, still transfixed, had her own earthshaking, toe-curling orgasm. Unfortunately for her, she did it a good ten seconds after Nick and Max Lapins had already finished with theirs. So, as the waves of pulsing pleasure subsided, the crotch of her pants now utterly soaked in her own feminine juices, Judy realized with a start that she had been moaning quite loudly.

Cold dread crept over her, and as she looked up, she came face to face with two pairs of questioning eyes; emerald and gold.

…

As the fox and rabbit stood and walked towards her, Judy's world ceased to spin on it axis. The universe was laughing as the sky came crumbling down on her head.

Nick Wilde was looking at her, wearing the widest shit-eating grin ever worn by any mammal in the history of shit-eating grins. Around his waist, he was tying the filthy towel that had been both rubbed in the dirt and splattered with bodily fluids.

"Well well, look who it is. Miss 'fingers-herself-in-the-bushes'. I'm glad you enjoyed the show."

Judy was frozen; she had no words, otherwise, she would have started running… or perhaps screaming incoherently; probably both.

Long seconds stretched out into an infinity of ever deepening embarrassment.

Finally, Max, who was also standing over her with a slight smirk, put his paws to his face and to Judy's total amazement, drew away two contact lenses, revealing baby-blue irises. Leaning forward, he whispered in an amused voice, "You can take your hand out of your pants now Hopps."

 _Hopps…_?

A stunning realization hit Judy. The oddities, missing pieces and obvious tells of this little puzzle that had alluded her now falling into place. Max was Jack…? She knew that voice and that tone and what the fuck!? What the fucking fuck! Jack!?

The revelation hit Judy as her frozen terror began to thaw and crack into an inferno of rage. She became aware that she was in fact still two fingers, knuckle deep in her vagina. In one swift, unceremonious movement she withdrew them and wiped some of the creamy wetness off on her shirt. Then, in the same fluid motion, she stood, stepped forward and hammered Jack in the stomach with her fist, using every ounce of her considerable might.

The male rabbit flew onto his back and curled into a ball.

"You sons of bitches! You set this whole thing up from the beginning! I know that's you under there Savage!"

Nick stepped between Jack (who had rolled into a ball, gasping) and Judy who was lining up for a kick, her eyes looking downright demonic. Nick interrupted her with a roar.

"Hold it! Before you go nuts you're going to listen. This was my idea. **I** planned it."

"Why!" Judy screamed, "Because I said I didn't love you!?"

"No! You never had to love me! You have every right to your own feelings and opinions! This is for meddling with my heart when I told you not to. For trying to push me into a new relationship literally weeks after the biggest heartbreak of my entire life! For disrespecting my wishes, for dismissing my sexual preferences! For setting me up on a date and then spying on me from the fucking park like a crazy person - **yeah,** we definitely saw you! And finally, for fingering yourself on my property while you watched me get fucked by my _boyfriend_!"

Each point was like a hard slap to Judy's face and her rage was shoved halfway to the backburner, "You set this up though. You led me here. You _wanted_ me to see you!"

"Yeah, I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. Hell, I expected you to go redder than a tomato before running away as far and as fast as your little legs could carry you. Instead you froze like a teenage boy seeing his first nudie magazine before sticking your paw down your pants!"

Judy tried to respond but her brain was experiencing a critical error. After moments of searching she finally pushed past her waning conviction and asked, pleading, "But why Nick…"

"Because you lied to me Judy. When you said that you wanted to sleep with me only because you were drunk and in heat. When you said you didn't find me attractive. I know you well enough by now. And I know your smells better than anyone. You've been struggling to keep your hands off me for months. I see you looking. I know how you feel. I'm not blind Judy. If a rabbit was what you wanted you could have taken your pick, but you never even tried. What makes me the most angry, out of everything, is that you condemn yourself to loneliness and you want the same damn thing for me!"

"Nick no!" Judy fumbled, her inner ears had gone white, mouth dry.

"Yes, Judy. You wanted me to be some kind of pseudo-boyfriend. Never too close but never too far. You lied when you said you wanted to find me a mate. Really, you just wanted me to find someone to fuck - never someone to love! That would be reserved just for you! I deserve better than that, Judith! And maybe you didn't realize what you were doing, but I don't care! You could have had all of me! My whole heart was yours, **forever** , but, but you-"

"Nick enough! Jack had gotten to his feet and grabbed both of Nick's hands which he had been gesturing with, pointing and waving as his monolog had slowly become heated shouting. The fox was shaking violently. He didn't even know when he had started to shed tears.

His rant derailed, Nick sat slowly to the ground, taking a long deep shuddering breath. Immediately Jack stepped forward, wrapping his arms around him while stroking and running his fingers through the fur on his neck.

Any anger Judy had been feeling had long fizzled out and was replaced first by mortification, followed by dread and settling on gut wrenching remorse.

Nick's words had destroyed her.

She knew later she wouldn't sleep for crying, but in this moment all she could feel was a terrible numbness. This state of shock was all that allowed her to speak, "I… this… e-everything you said is true... It doesn't make what you two did any less shitty. Nick, I was wrong... I screwed up... I've been… I'm a complete mess right now and I ruined everything. I'm… I…"

Judy had to stop, she could feel herself teetering on the edge of a meltdown. If she said anymore she would be a wreck for hours.

Nick stood and steadied himself. The anger mostly drained away. Now he just looked sad, and deeply tired, but he wasn't done. "Well, aren't you going to tell me how a bunny and a fox can't be together? I expected you to be disgusted by all of this and instead-"

"Nick, I was wrong. If you want to be with a bunny, _hell_ , any mammal, male… female. It's not my place t-to tell you who you can and cannot date."

"Wait-what? What? What happened to all that shit you've been saying? Months of near arguments - of _cold war_ in that stuffy police cruiser. And now? You've just decided to do a… a full one-eighty?"

"Look, I'm just as confused as you. I'm playing catch-up and I'm finally seeing the truth for once. I've been **so** dumb. And anything I say is just _inadequate_ … it sounds so lame and I have no right to even… I… I'm just so sorry. "

Judy teetered again, only at the last moment managing to collect herself as she drew the pain evident in her speech away from her face. "Nick, I've realized recently that I've got some serious, 'issues'. Something is… is the matter with me and I didn't even realize it. I'm going to get help. And when I'm ready I'll need to have a long and really important talk with you. Just, please. Please, please believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you… not ever"

Nick's features had softened. His ears lay flat against his head, "I'm your partner Judy and your best friend. You're right, this was shitty… and... I'm sorry. But, we're here now. Can't we just talk about it? Do we really have to wait? Whatever it is, no matter what, I know we can figure it out like adults. I promise I won't get angry again. I won't push you away. You know you don't have to be afraid."

The resonance of those words, _"don't have to be afraid"_ made Judy clench her teeth as a shudder came into her limbs. "No. Nick. You deserve better then that. I **need** to be able to _show_ you… I promise I'm going to show you… and… and you forgave me once when you didn't have to. So, let's just forget this idiotic game okay? I forgive you so let's just forget about it."

Suddenly, and before Nick could even respond, Judy's emotional mask began to crack. Not willing to subject him to more of her tears, she turned on her heels and began sprinting away.

Just as suddenly though, she stopped again, turning back.

"Hey Jack!" she called.

The rabbit in question, who was still holding onto Nick, looked at her with a blank expression.

"I don't like you, I don't trust you, and I sure as hell don't approve of you." Judy's eyes were like frozen amethysts, the unspoken threat hovering in the still air.

 _"If you hurt my fox-"_

Jack's eyes were equally cold, like clear blue chips of ice, and his response was clear,

 _"Your fox?"_

The question was never answered as Judy disappeared into the grass and was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

THREE MONTHS LATER

A flash forces his eyes temporarily closed as another car glides past in the opposing lane. Blurred light provides a momentary sweeping brightness, illuminating the vehicle's interior. Soft music plays from somewhere ahead; a hit from years past. Tape encircles his wrists, and ankles… and mouth.

He catches what hints of information come to his rattled senses.

 _"It's night."_

The car bounces twice over potholes in the road. Through the window above him, the next street light momentarily grants a view of a deep forest.

 _"We've left the city."_

He wants to see more of the car, but doesn't move lest he give away the fact he's conscious to anyone who might be watching.

Mind still hazy, drifting, he tries to remember the events that led him here. Somehow though, slipping half in and out of a dream, Jack finds his mind mired in a time years past…

* * *

The desert was dark, dry and cold. Camp Darling, the forward operating base in the region, lay quiet. Only those on watch were still awake at this extremely late/early hour. As per special orders, all lights were to be out in camp so as not to give the enemy a point to target with ordinance. Everyone was given night vision gear in order to navigate the nearly pitch black interior of the hastily put together fort. Unfortunately for Jack, the goggles they gave him were about three sizes too big.

He'd fucked up… or at least that's what they told him. Defying an order while at the same time saving half your unit seemed to him like it should somehow cancel out the need for discipline. Really, it boiled down to the fact that the CO didn't like that a rabbit was under his command, and Jack showing up the imperious lions precious Elephantry was just the cherry on top.

That's how he'd found himself on watch at two in the morning. Even worse - no, worse by far, was that he was going to be spending it sitting with the camp's resident pariah, Marco Savage.

To be clear, Jack had nothing specifically against Marco... other then, of course, that everyone else seemed to harbor a strong dislike for the odd tiger. Spending time in his presence was guaranteed to earn the disdain of half his peers and their respect had been hard won.

Jack never really understood why Marco was so hated to begin with. He supposed it had something to do with his being gay, which wasn't a big deal really. If the stats were true, as many as one in ten members of the forces were. Jack certainly was.

The problem with Marco was that he flaunted it; put it out in the open for everyone to see. There was an unspoken rule in camp, 'gay is ok', just don't look it, or sound it, or talk about it; simple.

Problem number two was that Marco didn't look like a tiger should look. He might as well have been a very tall, muscular cheetah. By general tiger standards he was an absolute waif. His body represented the penultimate display of masculinity and power - hell, the units crest had stripes emblazoned all across it. Marco though... if he was born with a pair of tits, changing nothing else, he could have been a feline super model. Round hips, dainty bone structure, delicate, soft facial features. Even the way he walked, swaying his tail around camp like a cheerleader at a prep rally. He drew stares from everyone. Some resented it, some felt threatened by it and Jack was just disturbed at how much time he apparently spent thinking about it. For months he'd avoided the tiger like the plague and now they would be spending three hours a night together sitting in an uncomfortable little box in the dark.

...

"Well Tiger, you've been pretty quiet so far."

"Please don't call me that. Just Clover or Jack… and I'm a bunny. Note the ears."

"Ahaa. It's all makes sense now. You actually think you're a bunny. Well good for you my darling, you wanna be a bunny, be a bunny I say."

"I **am** -" Jack let out a disgusted sigh and closed his mouth.

"So I have a question." Marco had a slight accent. It made him sound slightly more refined then Jack was used to. He also had a barely noticeable lisp that became most pronounced on his S's and P's. For a tiger his voice was high pitched, still it had a silky smooth quality to it, as well as an ever present playfulness and enthusiasm. "How is it that the golden boy himself, the Jack of Clovers, the Lucky Lapin if you will... ends up here on the graveyard shift alongside an 'undesirable' such as yours truly."

Jack said nothing in return. It was a topic he didn't want to get into and maybe if he pretended Marco didn't exist he'd get the hint and just leave him alone.

After a moment the tiger leaned forward so that his muzzle was hovering just above Jack's ears, "What's wrong Tiger? Cat got your tongue?"

Jack had to restrain his anger as well as a sudden and all together different kind of feeling that ran shuddering up his spine. Keeping his voice low he scolded, "Listen, I don't want to be here. I would appreciate it if we could get through this with as little talking as possible."

"Ohh, the claws come out. Your bunny act needs some work I think."

Jack struggled to remain quiet, "Please stop talking to me."

Marco let loose a low purring laugh, "Yes sir. Although I get the feeling you're not usually up at this time of the night. Try not to fall asleep on me now."

Jack scoffed, "Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Copy that. You know, I've always loved the silence. Staring out into the moonlit dunes. It's all kind of romantic," The tiger lowered his voice, "especially now that you're here to share it with me."

Jack took a deep breath, preparing a response but realized that the only way to end the conversation was to give Marco the last word. Closing his mouth he breathed out his frustration, making a conscious choice not to break the pause that had finally descended.

Minutes later he noticed due to the dark, the quiet, and his bunny brains' need to grab hold of some kind of stimulus, that ever so lightly, deep and low in his throat, Marco was purring. At first it was all but undetectable. But, as the first hour past, the purr was his sole focus, it enveloped him; not unpleasantly.

Two hours in and Jack was falling asleep standing. His mind, which had all but gone into full rebellion, was fighting him for sleep. The only thing keeping him awake was the cold, which was far more intense then he had expected; it crept into his bones and left him shivering.

Near the end, in a moment of greatest weakness, giving into a terrible idea his mind had been throwing at him for nearly an hour, Jack turned and sat on the bench next to Marco, close enough they were nearly touching. The tiger said nothing, but his eyes reflected tiny glints of moonlight in the dark.

 _"...he's warm."_ Was Jack's last thought before he was fast asleep.

* * *

Darkness envelops the car. Awakening, dizzy, still bound, Jack feels the vehicle turn, then accelerate slightly; tires crunch over what sounds to be a gravel road. He has no bearings. They could be anywhere. And now, without passing car or overhead light, his world is black.

Another mammal is breathing somewhere behind him. If his hearing is to be trusted, it is a much larger mammal than a rabbit. It's hard to concentrate. The difference between reality and imagination is razor thin as his still drugged, sensory deprived mind seeks for information. Finally, his subconscious again takes the wheel.

* * *

That first morning, Jack had awoken tucked into his bed, leg guards removed but otherwise still fully dressed.

He'd fallen asleep on watch...

That was a big deal. Just as bad in many ways as the shit he was already in trouble for - his 'creative' interpretation of his superiors orders.

Marco had obviously carried him to bed. He vaguely remembered being cradled.

...

They hadn't spoken a word about it even after several weeks. Jack felt ashamed. He felt bad enough that the next night he quietly chatted with Marco for almost three hours; a difficult task seeing as they seemed to have nothing in common.

As long as they talked though, Jack hadn't again fallen asleep. So, now, out of necessity, they spoke every night and Jack admittedly found it pleasant enough. It might even be said that he was getting to _know_ the eccentric tiger.

Then there was the other thing, the thing that had drawn him to fall asleep against the massive predator on the first night - that pulled his eyes towards him as he went about his tasks during the day - the guilty thoughts that came in the late hours when he was alone in his bed. It was a feeling over which he seemingly had no control; an electricity shock wanting to arc. It was...

It terrified Jack. He found himself wishing the cease fire would end, that he could get back to fighting the war, while the other half of him, tremulously, impatiently, awaited the night.

...

"Now, my handsome Buck. I have a surprise for you as well as a question of paramount importance."

Marco let loose a near constant stream of overly familiar terms of endearment: my sweetheart, bunny-love, dearest and darling, to name a few. Jack would always scowl at him when he did it. This was mainly to hide the way it made his stomach flutter. Nonetheless, by now the affectionate nicknames were pretty much par the course.

"This should be good."

"Oh, it is! Tell me, have you ever played… Dungeons and Dragons?"

Jack could only shake his head, "Nope. No. After hearing you talk about your favorite cartoon, Ninja Narbooboo or whatever, I thought you couldn't sink any lower."

"You are dreadfully unaware of what you're missing my dear. D&D is little more than a name. It's just us here. No paper or pencils. No books or dice. This will be collaborative storytelling. Before there was writing there was oral history. Before there was drama there was a game of stories, told around a fire. This is **that** , the oldest game." Marco purred and whispered at Jack as he liked to do when he intended to tease him, "Well… maybe not the _oldest_ game. But we can't play that, not here at least."

"Would you please stop." Jack said it, but it didn't stop his tail from vibrating furiously, "I'm not playing this game Marco."

"You- _so-_ are. What will you be I wonder? A wizard - no. A warrior? Too obvious. A barbarian? Yes, wild and untamed, mastered by no mammal. And since you so adamantly identify as a lagomorph… Clovis… bunny barbarian. Legendary lover, scourge of ancient evil, traveler of the wastes and deep places of the world. Oh yes, dear heart, let me weave you a tale."

Marco took on a solemn and intense voice mixed with a fairly bad attempt at shrewpearean English. "In a time of misery and death… before the great pact… before the iron sword. The world was a place of dark magic, demons and _mystery-"_

Jack put his palms over his eyes and groaned, resting his head on the metal frame of the watchtower. If his back wasn't to Marco though, the tiger would have seen a smile tugging at the edges of the bunny's mouth.

* * *

 _Smoke churned around the vehicles. The air was choked with phosphor and blood._

* * *

Unexpectedly, huge paws reached out and lifted Jack into the air. He'd been shivering uncontrollably. The desert cold had become too much.

Before he could protest, Marco pulled him into his lap, wrapping him in an embrace. Jack would have tried to escape if not for the incredible warmth, the overwhelming predatorial smell that made his heart beat a delicious frenzied rhythm, and the losing battle going on in his heart. He wanted this so badly.

It took about a minute, locked in indecision for his resolve to finally shatter. The battle lost, his lust spiking as it would periodically in the tiger's presence. Jack slowly slid himself back and down along Marco's thighs until he was pushing himself into the tigers groin. Jack didn't know what to expect, certainly not this massive hardness. They shuttered together, both nearly cumming in that moment from the sheer realization of a long-shared aching desire. Emboldened, Jack ground his firm buttocks along Marcos length. With a growl the tiger curled his body forward and around the rabbit in his lap. Lifting Jacks chin, they kissed.

* * *

 _Jack stumbled out into the sandy, rubble strewn road and immediately fell hard onto his side. Something was wrong with his leg. Distant pain, like the soft ringing in his ears, buzzed all around him. Crawling forward on his arms, he left two trails of blood in his wake._

* * *

Jack lost a bet… on purpose actually.

For three days the rabbit had subsisted on nothing but supplements, water and several large mouthfuls of tiger semen; morning and night.

Jack found it almost disturbing the level of impatient, shivering anticipation he felt as Marco slowly undid his belt and unzipped his pants. He latched his mouth over his husband's massive cock like a mammal dying of thirst drinks from a canteen.

As per the rules, Jack was restricted from any kind of sexual release so long as the bet was in play. After so long without gratification, a powerful shuddering overtook his body as, after his usual ministrations, Marco's intimately familiar salty spray struck the back of his throat. Jack felt his legs giving out as he simultaneously came, still flaccid, and dribbling across the kitchen floor.

Unexpectedly dizzy, Jack immediately fainted, banging the back of his head on the linoleum. A half minute later a frantic and tearful Marco declared that the bet was off forever. Tiger semen was apparently not as protein rich or conducive to bunny health as one might expect.

* * *

 _The shredded vehicle before Jack was wreathed in smoke. He tugged at the twisted door in vain screaming out his husband's name. Pain erupted deep inside him and Jack nearly fainted as his vision wavered and flashed. Finally, with a shaking whole-body effort, he wrenched the door open as it half swung, half fell to the side. In the driver's seat sat Marco._

* * *

It was Christmas morning. Jack, under strict instructions, had left all the lights off except those of the Christmas tree. Outside it was cold and snowing lightly. Inside the apartment, Jack was comfortably nestled into the couch, wrapped in a blanket with his coffee; still blurry eyed.

After a minute, the sound of soft jingling was preceded by Marco who appeared from inside the kitchen where he had been 'getting ready'.

Jack couldn't help but ogle. His kitty appeared in the doorway in all his sleek feline glory wearing nothing but bells which were snapped around his neck, ankles, wrists and the base of his tail. His whole body was wrapped in multiple strands of tiny, multi-colored, battery-powered Christmas lights. Blooms of color stood out vibrantly across his white fur.

Dancing across the room, hips swaying fluidly Marco asked in his usual demure drawl? "So babe, do you like it?"

Jack could only nod emphatically.

"Good, because for the first gift of Christmas I would like you to present you with… me! All day, in any way your perverse little heart might desire. Don't ask, my love because today, this body _belongs_ to you."

Luckily for Jack he was able to catch most of the coffee that dribbled down his chin.

Marco then bent over provocatively, curling and flipping his tail into the air, leaving nothing to the imagination, and pulled a huge box out from under the tree. After he placed it down on the couch Jack saw that it was fill to the top with a literal pile of immaculately wrapped little gifts; probably over a hundred or so. They didn't look expensive exactly but... a warm realization hit him as he sifted through the various brightly packaged shapes. These gifts constituted an entire year of Marco's careful shopping. It brought home in that moment a simple truth; Marco was always thinking of him. Everywhere he went he carried with him the thought, " _Jack would like this." or "I_ _ **have**_ _to get this for Jack!"_

It was a bi-weekly thing already that Marco would bring him home some little thing; even something as small as an interesting rock or a 50 cent trinket. It was just one of the ways his tiger expressed his love. And Marco did love Jack, as hard as Jack first found it to believe.

Despite his best efforts, lips tight, a tear eventually escaped with a sniff and ran down his cheek. Seconds later he found himself being lifted, coffee cup extracted from his paw. Then his world was all white fur stained with colored light and a deep rumbling purr, kisses raining down on the top of his head, "Oh you sappy bunny. Don't cry love. Let me make it better." Their lips met moments later and the morning of that Christmas was used up with Jack taking full advantage of his and Marco's many gifts.

* * *

 _Marco's intestines were unspooled over the carnage that remained of his legs. Little was recognizable below the waist except for his standard issue boots which still held both feet. His chest was a shredded pulp. Sticky matted blood bubbled as the last of his breath escaped his punctured lungs._

 _Above the smoke, his head rested back, untouched by blood and haloed in light that was streaming through the dust caked windshield. For one fleeting moment his mouth twitched and shifted almost imperceptibly, one eye rotating and meeting with Jacks. Marco's expression was entreating, maybe pleading, maybe accepting… maybe… but then it was gone._

 _An instant and the light faded, muscles going slack._

 _Marco was dead._

 _Jack had seen death before hundreds of times. Many of those were at his own hands. Most though the scope of his sniper rifle, some others as close and personal as his own knife. Never had any of those grim moments touched him all that deeply. He defeated an enemy, which was right. He protected himself and his unit; again, as it should be. Sometimes mistakes were made, but people die in war, regrettable perhaps, but something that had to be accepted to move forward. Sometimes you would be asked to do things you hate. And again, there is honor in bearing the burdens other cannot._

 _Standing in the hot sun, seeing the ruin of his beautiful love, his own life blood dribbling into the sand, Jack was forced to see for the first time with the true cost of war. Marco would never bring again to the world any of the wonderful things he did. The wellspring of his laughter, his kindness and his fierce, uncompromising friendship - and his capacity for joy and his enduring and unconditional love; his brilliance, had run dry forever. The oasis that Jack had called his home was again a desert. And the terrible cost. The terrible fucking cost of all those lives and all the good he had ever known - and a sound was bubbling up from inside him - because Jack was beyond sadness and beyond grief and he found himself confronted finally, finally, by the Horror. As a prey animal might have in the ancient past, surrounded in a dark forest, teeth tearing into flesh, or as a mother finding her baby smothered in its crib; it was in this way that Jack screamed_.

* * *

Jack is awoken by a blast of cold water. Confused and still deep in his dream/ memory he lets loose a sob as he writhes, still bound by tape. Another jet of water hits his face this time followed by a bout of cruel laughter. "You awake now rabbit? Didn't mean to interrupt your nap time."

A third shot of water, from what is likely a garden hose, has Jack sputtering and for the first time this night, entirely aware.

"Masters want to see you."

The mammal (Jack sees that she is in fact a vaguely familiar wolf in a black dress, wearing some kind of spiky fetish collar), grabs him by his good leg and drags him across a gravel driveway towards a large industrial doorway.

" _I'm still in the forest. Stars are too bright for the city. Moon is at the apex. Warehouse is one hundred meters wide, ten meters tall. What time did she grab me?"_

Jack can't finish the thought because he is pulled bodily through the door and into a stark, brightly lit interior. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust during which his captor hoists him up and dumps him into a too-large metal chair. An ear piercing screech echoing throughout the warehouse as the chair is dragged over the concrete floor and then spun.

As Jack finally gets a chance to focus, his breath catches in his throat, sitting a few feet across from him is Nick. His fox is tied securely to a chair, gagged with two black eyes and a bloody nose.

"Oh thank God Nicky! I looked for you everywhere! Me and Ju-"

The look Nick is giving him is trying desperately to say many things and with a snap of realization Jack shuts his mouth and follows Nick's eyes.

Towering just behind him is Pavel and Andre. The two bears ware incredibly ugly smiles.

"Well, look what we have found. Nicholas's little bunny is not who he pretends. From what we hear you are the reason for all our recent troubles." Pushing his claws hard into the sides of Jack's head Andre lifts him out of the chair until they are at eye level. The flesh around his face being skewered, Jack grits his teeth, fighting not to scream.

"Pasha thinks we should pull your arms off like Christmas cracker. Afterwards, while you die, we take turns fucking your fox until all his bones are broken. I like this plan. Only thing I would like better is for you to get us back our weapons."

From behind him Pavel adds in an accent made thicker by barely controlled rage, "Eand our money. Tventy million."

Andre nods sagely, eyes full of malice, "That as well. So, what do you think? Do you do this for us, or do we do other thing?"

For Jack, blood trickling out of ten small wounds, the pain is beyond excruciating and he is only able to croak out a desperate, "I'll do it!"

Unceremoniously Andre drops him to the floor, "Excellent! Then all is well. We will be keeping your fox of course. You will be dropping off everything at a place of our choosing in one week."

The bear turns to the she-wolf who is standing by attentively.

"Good-girl, take him back to the city. Give him a phone. Be back before morning and you will get a special reward."

As if anticipating some unimaginable gift, the wolf nods frantically, shivering with unbridled joy and devotion.

Andre turns away grumbling, "Go then. Good luck little bunny. Get us what you owe."

An instant later Jack is being dragged again by the wolf, who all but runs with him back across the warehouse. He tries to catch Nick's eyes one last time but fails. Then, door banging open, he's flying through the air and rolling hard into the unforgiving gravel.

Jack ends up on his back, noticing in the corner of his vision the wolf uncapping a tranquilizer dart. In the last seconds before unconsciousness is again forced upon him, Jack stares hard into the night sky, at the position of the moon, willing an image of the stars to be burned into his memory.


End file.
